Your Account
    Log into your account here:
       Forgot Password

    Not registered? Sign Up for free
    Registration allows you to keep track of all your content and comments, save bookmarks, and post in all our forums.

Walkthrough

by QueenAdreena

----------------
Ninja Gaiden II
----------------
FAQ/Walkthrough for the Xbox 360

Copyright 2008 Jennifer N. Rigsby

This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, 
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed 
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other 
web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a 
violation of copyright. 
This guide is only to be hosted by the sites listed below:
Gamefaqs.com
Honestgamers.com
Neoseeker.com
Supercheats.com

The newest version will always be found on GameFaqs first.

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their 
respective trademark and copyright holders.

Before emailing me with a question, PLEASE make sure it isn't answered in this 
FAQ. Check the Frequently Asked Questions section in particular.
You can email me at BeautyFiend66ATgmail.com
Replace the AT with @. Be sure to make the subject of your email Ninja Gaiden 
II Faq or it may be deleted.


-----------------This guide contains boss spoilers.--------------------------


Table of Contents

I have added a quick search feature; to use it, hold ctrl+F and type in the 
characters listed in parenthesis next to the section you wish to view. For 
example, if you want to look at chapter one, hold down ctrl+F and type C1SKT 
in the search box.

1. Update History (S1UH)
2. Items and Essence (ES1I)
3. Ninpo and the Ki Gauge (ES2N)
4. Melee and Projectile Weapons (ES3W)
5. Chapter 1: Sky City Tokyo (C1SCT)
6. Chapter 2: The Castle of the Dragon (C2TCD)
7. Chapter 3: Thunderclap of Catastrophe (C3TOC)
8. Chapter 4: A Captive Goddess (C4ACG)
9. Chapter 5: The Aqua Capital (C5TAC)
10. Chapter 6: The Lycanthropes' Castle (C6TLC)
11. Chapter 7: The Flying Fortress Daedalus (C7FFD)
12. Chapter 8: Submit, or Die! (C8SOD)
13. Chapter 9: Heart of Darkness (C9HOD)
14. Chapter 10: The Temple of Sacrifice (C0TOS)
15. Chapter 11: A Tempered Gravestone (C1ATG)
16. Chapter 12: Quickening Devestation (C12QD)
17. Chapter 13: The Underworld Abyss (C3TUA)
18. Chapter 14: Poisoned Blood (C14PB)
19. Unlockables (ES4U)
20: Frequently Asked Questions (ES5F)



Updates: (S1UH)

June 13th - Fixed the broken unlockable section quick search code, added the 
frequently asked questions section, updated allowed sites list, added two 
missed chests in chapters 4 and 5, slightly revised some boss strategies 
(working on more in depth boss strategies now)
June 7th - Added table of contents, the Items and Essence section, Ninpo and 
the Ki gauge section, Melee and Projectile Weapons section, finished 
walkthrough, added alternate way to kill the Water Dragon, added two Crystal 
Skulls I missed before in chapters 2 and 6. started unlockables section.
June 5th - Submitted FAQ up to Chapter 8

Note: The enemy sections of this guide are intended for the Path of the 
Acolyte difficulty setting. A major difference between difficulty settings is 
that you will face different enemies at different times. I plan to update this 
guide regularly and will note the differences and update boss strategies 
accordingly.

Items and Essence (ES1I)

Yellow Essence - This is the most common of the three Essences. It is used 
like money at the shop. 

Blue Essence - This will restore your health, as well as the red part of the 
health gauge that doesn't refill after a battle.

Red Essence - This is the rarest Essence to find. It will restore your Ki 
gauge, allowing you to cast more Ninpo.

Herb of Spiritual Life - This item restores a small amount of health and is 
commonly found in chests. 

Grains of Spiritual Life - Restores a moderate amount of health.

Lives of the Thousand Gods - Use this item to permanently increase your health 
bar. Using it will actually completely refill your health, so I recommend 
holding on to these and using them during particularly challenging boss 
fights. Can only be bought at the shop if you missed one during the previous 
chapter.

Life of the Gods - Basically, 9 of these equals Lives of the Thousand Gods. 
Once you have found and used 9 of these items, your maximum health will 
permanently increase. Can only be bought at the shop if you missed one during 
the previous chapter.

Talisman of Rebirth - This item will resurrect you with full health and Ki. 
You must physically use it before you die if you wish to be resurrected. These 
are rare to find.

Devil Way Mushroom - Restores one section of your Ki gauge. 

Jewel of the Demon Seal - Use this item to upgrade one of your Ninpos. Can 
only be bought at the shop if you missed one during a previous chapter.

Spirit of the Demon - Use this to permanently increase your Ki gauge by one 
section.

Crystal Skulls - These items don't do anything. Just collect them for 
achievements.

Rod of Trials - Make sure you pick this up in Chapter 2. You won't be able to 
do the Tests of Valor without it, and this is your only chance to get it. A 
legendary implement that grants access to the Tests of Valor.

Ninpo and the Ki Gauge (ES2N)

The Ki Gauge - Your Ki gauge will be full at the start of every chapter. Once 
depleted, Red Essence or certain items will fill it back up. Each Ninpo costs 
one section of your Ki. In addition, Ryu cannot be damaged while casting a 
Ninpo.

The Art of the Inferno - A Ninpo that converts the caster's Ki into crimson 
flames.

The Art of the Wind Blades - A Ninpo that converts the caster's Ki into 
slashing blades of wind.

The Art of the Piercing Void - A Ninpo that allows the caster to control and 
project gravity.

The Art of the Flame Phoenix - A Ninpo that converts the caster's Ki into 
protective phoenix spirits.


Melee and Projectile Weapons (ES3W)

Melee Weapons:
Dragon Sword - Ryu's starting weapon. The symbol of the Dragon Ninja, passed 
down for generations.

Lunar Staff - Found in Chapter 1. A staff said to harbor the mysterious powers 
of the moon.

Falcon's Talons - Found in Chapter 2. A unique evolution of a Ninja's 
traditional hand-mounted claws.

Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang - Found in Chapter 4. Large Japanese swords, 
they are wielded as a pair.

Kusari-gama - Found in Chapter 5. A ninja weapon made from a sickle with chain 
and weight attached.

Eclipse Scythe - Ryu gets this automatically at the end of Chapter 6. A giant 
scythe handed down in the Lycanthrope tribe of Fiends.

Tonfa - Found in Chapter 7. A powerful martial-arts weapon originating from 
Okinawa.

Vigoorian Flail - Found in Chapter 9. A vicious flail made during the Middle 
Ages in the Vigoor Empire.

Projectile Weapons:
Shuriken - Ryu starts with this. A standard Ninja throwing weapon.

Fiend's Bane Bow - Found in Chapter 2. A powerful bow, decorated with twin 
dragon head carvings.

Incendiary Shuriken - First found in Chapter 3. A throwing knife-shaped 
Shuriken with a small explosive attached.

Gatling Spear Gun - Found in Chapter 5. A Gatling-type spear gun, only usable 
underwater.

Windmill Shuriken - Found in Chapter 11. A large boomerang-type Shuriken, long 
used in the Hayabusa Clan.




**A note concerning chests: Chests will not always contain the same item, and 
in some cases, a chest listed may not even be there. This changes because of 
the difficulty setting you are playing on. In addition, if a chest contains an 
item you are already maxed on, the chest will likely contain Essence.**


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 1: Sky City Tokyo (C1SCT) 2 Skulls

Special agent Sonia appears at the door of the tiny shop run by master 
swordsmith Muramasa amidst the skyscrapers of Tokyo. She inquires after the 
Ninja Ryu Hayabusa, his whereabouts a mystery. She brings news of a terrible 
danger facing the world, bearing a message that must reach Hayabusa at any 
cost. As night falls, the evil Black Spider Ninja Clan emerges from the 
shadows to infest the streets of the unsuspecting city.
----------------------------------------------------------------------


After the opening scene, you will need to take out the attacking enemies 
immediately. You start with the Dragon Sword equipped. Take this opportunity 
to learn the basic controls, which are displayed at the bottom of the screen. 

You will see a hole in a wall directly in front of where you started. Press 
the Right Bumper to open it for another scene. Afterwards, the camera controls 
will be displayed below. Return to the shop and open the chest in front of the 
counter which contains an Herb of Spiritual Life (Acolyte Only). You can break 
the barrels outside of the shop for additional Yellow Essence. 

Continue down the path until you get a short tutorial on the Earth Dragon 
Statues. You can save and heal at these when no enemies are in the area. After 
saving, four enemies will come from the other side of the walkway and attack. 
Take care of them however you see fit. Continue past the shop until you come 
to the now opened red gate. Enter through the gate and walk down the stairs 
and across the platform until you see a door with a chest on the left side. 
This chest contains the Reverse Wind Technique. This is basically a quick 
dash. Hold the Left Trigger then push the left stick in the direction you wish 
to dash to perform it.

Now kick open the door and take out the four Spider Clan Ninjas that attempt 
to ambush you. Continue down the hallway. The chest at the end contains Blue 
Essence which restores your health. Go down the other hallway in this V shaped 
area. Four more ninjas will run across the wall, just to be stopped by a gory 
death. Take the ladder down into the small room below. There is a chest here 
which contains The Technique of Shadowless Footsteps. Press A to jump at a 
wall and hold the direction you wish to wall run with the Left Stick. 

Climb back up the ladder and use your new technique to get across the gap 
(though you may have noticed you didn't need it to get across this gap.) Four 
more ninjas will attack you at the other side. Open the chest at the end of 
the hallway for The Furious Wind Technique. Press the Left Trigger and push 
the Left Stick in the direction you wish to go to dash away while blocking an 
enemy attack. 

Continue into the large room and open the chest on the left, which contains 
your first Ninpo, The Art of the Inferno. Continue to the outside area. You 
should see a glowing object on a roof across from you. Jump across the gap 
towards that roof instead of taking the ladder down. This is Crystal Skull #1. 
Jump down below after picking it up. Several enemies will attack you here. 
Test out your new Ninpo and/or Technique on them. Go inside from this area and 
open the chest. This chest has Red Essence, used to refill your Ki gauge. 

Go up the stairs and kill the four ninjas. The chest to the left has a Lives 
of the Thousand Gods item. Use this to permanently increase your health. 
Continue across the balcony area. At the top of the next set of stairs is 
another chest with an Herb of Spiritual Life inside. Open the door on your 
right. Two ninjas will attack you inside. You can climb down the ladder to the 
area below, but there isn't anything down there. Instead, wall run across the 
gap. Several enemies will attack you as you head up the stairs. After dealing 
with the enemies, wall run across the next gap. You may also jump at the 
horizontal pole in the center of the gap to swing yourself across, but you're 
Ryu Hayabusa, not Lara Croft. Again, there is nothing in the area below.

Examine the body in front of you for The Obliteration Technique. Press Y near 
an injured enemy to finish them off. Three enemies attack you as you continue 
down the walkway. Try out your Obliteration Technique on them, which usually 
ends in a severed head. Continue down the walkway. Soon you'll come to another 
dead body. Examine him to get The Flying Bird Technique. This technique allows 
you to continuously jump between two walls to reach higher ground with the A 
button. There is also a heal/save statue near the body. Continue to find... 
the perfect place to learn how to use The Flying Bird Technique. Several 
enemies will greet you at the top, including a few more powerful clawed ninjas.

Jump into the water and go left. Eventually you will come to a small boat with 
a chest inside of it. Open it to get a Devil Way Mushroom (Herb of Spiritual 
Life on W), which will restore a small amount of your Ki. Stay in the water, 
but this time go to the far right. You'll be attacked by a few enemies on the 
way. Follow the water until it ends as a waterfall. To the left of this area 
is a wooden platform with a chest. Inside is a Life of the Gods item. Use nine 
of these to permanently increase your health. Go back to where you originally 
came from, up the stairs. Cross the bridge here. There are enemies on the 
other side, including two clawed ninjas. Follow the path down the stairs. Two 
ninjas will attack you here. Hurry down the stairs to avoid the ninja shooting 
fire arrows at you from above. If you have enough Ki, however, you can use The 
Art of the Inferno near him to get rid of him. Run and jump off the tree 
before the bridge the archer is standing on to reach the bridge. You can kill 
him and take Crystal Skull #2.

Continue along the path and take care of the approaching ninja. After you've 
dealt with them, go down the ladder on the right to find a chest with Blue 
Essence inside. Continue down this lower path. Three regular ninjas and a 
clawed ninja will appear behind you. Kill them and continue until you see 
another chest at the end of the walkway. This chest contains another Life of 
the Gods. Go back the way you came and up the ladder. Continue forward and 
jump at the horizontal pole to swing across the gap. After doing so, you'll 
see three enemies running at you from ahead. Continue forward and use the two 
poles to swing across the gap. Ahead of you is a statue to heal and save at. 
Climb the ladder on the right. At the top, turn right to find a chest which 
contains a Devil Way Mushroom. Turn around and continue across the walkway. 
Examine the dead body for The Flying Swallow Technique. To use this technique, 
jump forward and press Y to damage any enemies in front of you. This technique 
requires you to have the Dragon Sword equipped.

Continue along the walkway until you come to a large balcony area. There are a 
ton of enemies here. If you're low on health, I recommend using your Inferno 
Ninpo here. Otherwise try out The Flying Swallow Technique. When all the 
enemies are dead, a large door in the center of the area opens. There is a 
save/heal statue on the right and a chest on the left. The chest contains Red 
Essence. Approach the statue in the center and take the Lunar Staff. Leave 
this room and head right and down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs is 
another body. Examine him to find The Ultimate Technique. To use this, hold Y 
for a bit to charge, and then release. As the on screen help suggests, your 
enemies will indeed suffer. Cross the bridge ahead. Try out your Ultimate 
Technique on one of the several ninja on the bridge. Be careful, as you are 
vulnerable while charging the technique.

Look to your left at the end of the bridge. There is another body here. 
Examine him to find Notebook: Obliteration Technique. This is about a ninja 
who couldn't bring himself to use the Obliteration Technique.

Continue through the small garden area and into the building. At the door lies 
another dead ninja. Examine him to receive The Technique of Ultimate Guidance. 
This will help you chain together more Ultimate Attacks by making your enemies 
drop more Essence. Hold Y to use nearby Essence to charge your Ultimate 
Technique faster. On the right side of this room is a small rectangle shape in 
the wall. Attack this and enter through the small hole in the wall. Inside is 
a chest and some pots to break. Inside the chest is Grains of Spiritual Life. 
It will restore a moderate amount of health. 

Leave through the other door of the building. Outside there are a few ninjas 
to deal with. Try out your new technique here, if needed. After you take care 
of the enemies, a gate will open, allowing you to enter into the building. 
Inside is a chest with Yellow Essence. Attack the wall to the left of the 
chest to break it down and head right. Once outside, two enemies attack you. 
You can access the shop after the enemies are dead. Examine the statue in the 
middle of the garden area to go to the shop. You may buy items and upgrade 
your weapons here.

When you're finished shopping, jump down the hole on the right side of the 
shop statue. At the bottom several bats will attack you, but they shouldn't be 
a problem. Exit through the door, and jump on the smaller platform slightly 
above the one you're on now. There's another dead ninja here, carrying 
Notebook: Shadowless Footsteps. This one is about a ninja who can't seem to 
grasp the Shadowless Footsteps Technique. Continue along the platforms. 
Eventually two ninjas will sadly attempt to stop you. You should see a higher 
platform with a moving wall next to it. Before going up there, continue down 
to the lower area and open the chest which contains an Herb of Spiritual Life. 
Go back to the area with the moving wall. When the wall is close, wall run 
across it to reach the higher platform. Continue along this platform. At the 
end you'll come face to face with another chest which contains Blue Essence.

Head back along the platform until you come to a broken section. Walk off of 
the platform here. You will see a dead ninja on the ground at the bottom. 
Examine him to find Notebook: Furious Wind. This ninja wishes to master the 
Furious Wind Technique. There is nothing to the left, so head right. Several 
ninja will attack you, including a couple of clawed ninjas. Eventually you 
will get a cut scene.

Kill the three clawed ninja in this room, then use the heal/save statue if you 
wish. Open the doors and go down the hallway. Several ninja will be here. Try 
to use the Obliteration Technique to quickly get rid of them. Continue down 
the hallway. Take the stairs down first to find a chest at the bottom. It has 
a Devil Way Mushroom inside. Take the stairs up this time. There are about ten 
ninja to deal with at the top, including a few clawed ninjas. Go up the stairs 
again. There is a chest at the top. It contains a Cracked Card Key. Go back 
down the stairs to the previous floor then go down the hallway to the right. 
Use the card key on the door to the left then open it. Inside is a dead ninja 
with Notebook: Flying Bird.

Climb the ladder in this room and continue forward. When you get to a dead 
end, use the Flying Bird Technique to wall jump to a room at the top. Kill the 
enemies up here. To the left is a chest and a shop statue. The chest contains 
Grains of Spiritual Life. When you're done, go down the right side of the 
balcony area. You should see a save/heal statue next to a set of stairs. Head 
up the stairs, where several clawed ninja await you. Open the doors for a cut 
scene.

Boss: Shadow Ninja Ratsetsu   

He will hurt you badly if you aren't careful. Use the Art of Inferno if you 
can, and use your Ultimate Technique when you get the chance, as this will 
damage him severely. Regular X combos with the Lunar Staff will quickly 
deteriorate his health.


---------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 2: The Castle of the Dragon (C2COD) 2 Skulls

The shadow of the Black Spider Clan reaches Hayabusa Village. They hunt for 
the Demon Statue, the key to resurrecting the Archfiend. Only Joe Hayabusa, 
his body still mending from his last battle, stands between them. Genshin, 
leader of the Black Spider Clan, faces his longtime rival in a fateful duel. 
As the Castle of the Dragon burns, the otherworldly Elizebet smiles coldly. 
The seal binding the Demon Statue is broken.
---------------------------------------------------------------------


Go forward after the scene until you come to a dead ninja. Examine him to find 
Notebook: Flying Swallow. Three ninja will attack you upon entering the 
graveyard. After you've turned them into a bloody mess, you may examine the 
light colored gravestone of Ryu's childhood friend. Continue through the 
graveyard. Two ninja will approach you at the stairs. At the bottom of the 
stairs, there will be several more ninja to fight off. Use the shop statue at 
the bottom of the stairs if you wish. Open the door on the left of the statue. 
On the bridge, several ninja will attack you. After they're dead, open the 
chest on the other side of the bridge. It contains a Life of the Gods. You 
can't go through this door yet, so head back towards the shop. Go down the 
path to the right of the shop statue and around the corner to find another 
dead ninja. Examine him to find Notebook: Reverse Wind.

Head around the next corner to kill a few clawed ninja and a ninja shooting 
fire arrows. The arrow shooting ninja will usually stop shooting arrows and 
attack you with his sword when you get close. Continue forward to find another 
dead ninja with an Herb of Spiritual Life. Go down the short set of stairs and 
enter the water. You can run across the water by pressing A repeatedly. Hold A 
to dive under the water. Dive under the water and pick up Crystal Skull 
#3. There is a ninja shooting fire arrows at you, so try to avoid them for 
now. Continue forward, dodging the arrows, until you get to the platform he's 
standing on to kill him. Go up the stairs here and follow the path upwards.

There is a heal/save statue in the next area, as well as a dead ninja. Examine 
the ninja to learn The Counter Attack Technique. To do this, press X or Y 
while blocking.

Go up the stairs and around the walkway. Two clawed ninja will run at you and 
you will see ninjas shooting fire arrows from behind them. Go back around the 
corner so you can kill the clawed ninja without being shot by the arrows. Once 
they're taken care of, head towards the archers. If you jump around while 
running towards them, you can easily avoid the arrows. They'll pull out their 
swords when you get close to them. Kill them however you wish and continue on.

You should now be in an outside area. Kill the enemies here, then enter the 
building on your right. There are two chests in here, but you'll have to fight 
off several ninja before opening them. The chest on the right contains Grains 
of Spiritual Life and the chest in the back of the room has Blue Essence 
inside. If you turn around from the chest in the back, you'll see a little 
closet area with a red floor and a red curtain on the wall. Take the Falcon's 
Talons weapon from here. Leave the building and descend the short set of 
stairs to the ground. Examine the dead ninja here to find Notebook: Ultimate 
Guidance.

(Note: Be sure to pick up the Rod of Trials mentioned in the section below. 
You can NOT get this item again. It is required to do the Tests of Valor.)

After stepping on the ground, several ninja will appear. This includes ninja 
shooting fire arrows and clawed ninja. After you get rid of the initial wave, 
one ninja at a time will come down the stairs. Keep killing them until you get 
a short scene informing you that a candle has been lit. At this point, the 
ninja will stop coming. Jump over the short fence in front of the candle and 
take the Rod of Trials from the alter. Head up the stairs that the ninjas were 
coming down earlier. There are two ninjas on the stairs now. Try to avoid the 
fire arrows being shot at you as you continue up the path. Perform a Flying 
Bird Technique when you are in-between the two watch towers. There is a chest 
at the top of one of them. It contains Blue Essence. Jump off the tower, and 
head up the path with the fires alongside it.

Kill the enemies along this path. You'll come to another set of watch towers. 
Perform the Flying Bird to get to the top of them so you can finally get rid 
of the archers. There is one archer on each tower. Continue up the stairs. At 
the top, four clawed ninja await their deaths. There is a heal/save statue and 
a shop up the stairs in the area at the top. Enter the small cave to the left 
of the save statue. Two clawed ninja attempt to sneak up on you from behind 
midway through the cave. At the end, perform the Flying Bird to get to an area 
above the cave, where a few more enemies await, including a fire archer. Head 
up the stairs here. Turn left at the top to see another dead ninja. Examine 
him to find Notebook: Counter Attack.

Go up the wooden walkway. At the first turn, a couple ninjas will land in 
front of you. Kill them and the fire archers near them. Kill the three clawed 
ninja that appear at the end of the walkway. There is Blue Essence in the 
chest to the left of the doorway. Go up the stairs and run through the next 
area to avoid being hit by arrows. Turn left immediately before heading up the 
curved set of stairs. There is a dead end area here which contains a chest. 
Inside is a bunch of Red Essence. Head up the stairs. At the top, you'll be 
attacked by fire archers, clawed ninjas, and a new enemy adorned in purple. 
After taking care of them, examine the dead ninja in front of the large door 
which is on fire. He has Notebook: Ultimate Technique.

Walk up the boards against the wall and jump to the rooftop. Once on the roof, 
two clawed ninjas and a floating purple ninja will attack you. Jump down the 
fiery hole into a building. You will immediately be attacked by three fire 
archer ninjas. Take care of them and use the heal/save statue on the left if 
necessary. Take the Fiend's Bane Bow from the dragon head on the wall, to the 
left of the stairs. Ascend the stairs to see a short scene. 

Equip your new bow and shoot an arrow in the very center of the glowing switch 
on the other side of the gate. There are more arrows to your right if you end 
up needing them. Press B to shoot an arrow or hold it down to charge. You can 
use the left stick to aim your shot and hold the Right Trigger down to zoom 
in. The gate will open and stairs will form in the next room when you are 
successful. Go up the stairs and jump to the bottom of the room and get ready 
for a boss fight. 

Boss: Shadow Ninja Ratsetsu - Second Time

This time around, Ratsetsu will be joined by clawed ninja. Use the Flying 
Swallow to take them out quickly. Try to avoid being grabbed by him if 
possible. Use the Art of Inferno to deal heavy damage to him. Again, use the X 
combos with the Lunar Staff to take out half of his health in seconds. 

Once he's dead, open the gate in the room. Go right down the narrow hallway. 
At the end is a chest filled with Red Essence. Now head down the left hallway. 
Two clawed ninjas will descend the stairs. After killing them, go behind the 
stairs to find a dead ninja with Grains of Spiritual Life. Head up the stairs 
and through the hall at the top. As you get near the back wall, ninjas will 
break through it. Take care of them, as well as the fire archer behind them. 
There are more arrows in this room and a heal/save statue. An enemy will fall 
from above as you approach the save statue. Go up the stairs in this room. At 
the top is a dead ninja holding The Technique of Unrivaled Soaring. This 
allows you to jump from one wall to another while wall running by pressing A.

Attack the wall on the right to break it down and walk onto the balcony. There 
are a total of three fire archers on the balconies next to yours. Charge your 
bow up and shoot arrows at them to kill them. Use your new technique to run 
across the two walls to get to the balcony on the left. Kill the enemies in 
this room and pick up the Vermilion Jewel from the alter area. Break the wall 
across from the alter to get to a storage area. Examine the dead ninja here 
for a Devil Way Mushroom. There is a trap door behind the body. If you stand 
on it for a second you will fall in front of the save statue in the room 
below. Ignore the trap door and continue to the next room. Crystal 
Skull #4 is on a shelf. Continue forward, killing the enemies on the other 
side 
of the breakable wall in front of you. Head towards the blue orb on the altar. 
This is the Ultramarine Jewel. Pick this up. With both jewels in hand, wall 
run back towards the center balcony you originally came from and place the 
jewels in the two pedestals. Shoot an arrow at the giant orb next to the 
dragon statue. This will lower a platform. Use it to enter the dragon's mouth.

Inside the dragon, turn left to find a chest containing Yellow Essence. To the 
right is a heal/save statue and a large hole in the wall. Exit through the 
hole in the wall. There are three purple ninjas on the roof. Take care of 
them, then head left on the roof, then upwards to another hole in the wall. 
Enter this room. Go to the right after entering this room. Two clawed ninjas 
will attack. You'll come to a small hole in the floor with a ladder. Climb 
down this ladder. One side has a heal/save statue and the other a shop. Climb 
back up the ladder when you're done and continue across the balcony. You 
should run into a chest containing a Lives of the Thousand Gods item. Two 
ninjas will come down the stairs. Kill them, the head up the stairs yourself. 
A few more ninjas await you at the top. To the left is a narrow hallway 
alongside the stairs with a dead ninja at the end. Examine him to get a Life 
of the Gods item. Go down the other side of the hallway and open the door for 
a cut scene.

Boss Fight: Genshin

Genshin wields claws and uses them to unleash fast, powerful attacks on Ryu. 
His combos will kill you quickly if you're not careful. Try to stay on the 
offense to prevent him from attacking. Unfortunately, your Inferno Ninpo won't 
damage him and charging an Ultimate Technique may prove to be deadly. Remember 
that scrolling through your items will pause the game, so don't be afraid to 
use your healing items. Just dash to avoid his attacks and stay on the offense 
and eventually you'll defeat him. I preffered using the Falcon's Talons on him.


-------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 3: Thunderclap of Catastrophe (C3TOC) 2 Skulls

The graceful Alexei, one of the Four Greater Fiends, appears in the skies over 
New York, raining lightning upon the streets of the proud city. Ryu Hayabusa 
arrives in Manhattan in search of Elizebet, who escaped from Hayabusa Village 
with the Demon Statue. The Fiends have already begun transforming New York 
into a Fiend Realm. Ryu's battle begins as the thunder and laughter of the 
Greater Fiend echo throughout the city.
--------------------------------------------------------------------


Go to the left after the scene to find a metal chest. It contains an Herb of 
Spiritual Life. Kill the bats that are flying around you in just a few 
attacks. There is also a shop on the right side in front of the Fortune 
Theatre. As you head forward down the street, several dogs will attack you. 
Some are unarmed, but others carry knives in their mouths and others have 
armor on their backs. Use your Flying Swallow Technique to easily kill them. 
Turn right at the intersection; there is a chest behind the taxi containing 
Red Essence. Turn around and go straight (left at the intersection from 
starting position.) Enter the doorway at the end near the burning taxi. 
Examine the body near the entrance to obtain a new Ninpo: The Art of the Wind 
Blades. When you get to the first turn in this building, a few ninjas will 
appear, including a fire archer behind them. Turn right when you get to the 
stairs to open a chest at the dead end containing Blue Essence. Return to the 
stairs an ascend them. After going up a flight or two, fire archers will start 
shooting arrows at you. Get off the stairs and take care of them. Behind them 
are a few clawed ninjas and two purple ninjas. If you notice the purple ninjas 
casting a spell, attack them immediately. It will cause a geyser like thing to 
appear under Ryu and damage him. Return to the stairs and go to the top to 
find Crystal Skull #5.

Go back to where you just fought the ninjas and continue down the path. There 
is a heal/save statue at the end. To the left of this are two opposing walls. 
Use your Flying Bird Technique to reach the top. There will be a few purple 
ninjas to kill here. After killing them, giant bat like creatures will attack 
you from the skies. They'll shoot fireballs at you constantly. You can use 
your Shurikens to kill them, but they take much longer to kill the bats than 
the bow does. If one of them gets close to you, you can easily kill it with 
your sword, but they'll stay away from you for the most part and attack from 
afar. The dead ninja, directly across from the walls you used to reach this 
area, has more arrows on him (literally) if you need them.

Climb down the first ladder on the edge of the building. Wall run to the ledge 
next to you to open a chest containing Red Essence. Climb back up the ladder 
and jump down where you see a second one this time. The ladder is broken so 
you can't climb it. Rid the world of a few more ninjas at the bottom, then 
open the chest to the left containing a bunch of Blue Essence. Go back towards 
the broken ladder and wall jump to reach the top. Climb up the first ladder 
you used to get back on the roof. Jump up under the thick black rope that 
leads to another building. Use this to get to the adjacent building.

Upon landing on the other side, a few ninja will appear and attack, including 
a couple fire archers. Kill them and continue on. There is a save/heal statue 
in a corner of the lower section. There isn't anything on the higher area, so 
turn left when you get to the statue. Open the chest straight ahead for an 
Herb of Spiritual Life before jumping off the roof through the broken railing.

Ninjas will come at you from all directions once you drop down, but there 
aren't many of them. Behind and to the left of the New York City Police 
Department is a chest with Blue Essence inside. From the front of the police 
station, go right down a blocked off street. You'll see a dead ninja here. 
Examine him to find The Four Greater Fiends, Part 1. Now continue past the 
police station, where several dogs will attack you. 

Eventually you'll come to a large area, where you'll see a cut scene. This new 
bat humanoid enemy is actually easy as long as you don't let them grab you. 
And remember that just because they're huge doesn't mean you can't use the 
Obliteration Technique on them once they're missing a limb. You'll have to 
kill three of them here. Once they're dead, jump down the massive hole in the 
road.

There is a save/heal statue straight ahead. Two more bat humanoids and a few 
large actual bats will attack you as you continue forward. Turn right and take 
the Jewel of the Demon Seal from the dead ninja. You can use this item to 
permanently increase the level of one of your Ninpo spells. Climb the ladder 
next to him and wall jump to get to the chest across from you, which contains 
Red Essence. Continue along this ledge until you come to a ladder on the left 
and climb down. Open the chest for Blue Essence, then climb down the next 
ladder. A few medium sized bats will attack you at the bottom. Continue 
through the tunnel and jump down into the water. Swim to the ledge and into 
the room and take Notebook: Unrivaled Soaring from the dead ninja. Climb up 
the stairs. They are broken you must wall run to the next section of stairs. 
At the top of the stairs is a chest containing Yellow Essence. Go through the 
tunnel and drop down. You're where you were before jumping into the water. 

Run across the wall here and jump off when you are near the horizontal pole. 
Swing on the pole and jump to the wall then run across the wall to land on the 
other side of the gap. Bats will attack you here. If you fell into the water, 
remember that you can still attack them while in the water. More bats will 
attack as you approach the next ledge. Don't bother jumping into the water 
here. It will just bring you back to the room with the broken stairs. A simple 
wall run will get you across this gap. Continue down the hallway, then jump 
down into the large circular room. Two bat humanoids will attack you inside. 
To the left is a dead ninja with arrows. Head through the tunnels. Several 
medium sized bats and one bat humanoid will attack you at the intersection. Go 
left after killing them to find a dead ninja. Examine him to find The 
Technique of the Invisible Path. This technique will let you jump off a wall 
while running on it and onto an opposing wall. It's similar to the Flying 
Bird. Use this technique now to run along the walls in front of you. There are 
three walls to run across, leading to Crystal Skull #6. Jump into the water 
from here. Behind the pillar is a chest under the water with a Life of the 
Gods. Leave this area by swimming to the ledge of the stairs, then use your 
Flying Bird Technique to ascend the walls.

Head straight down the path until you come to a save/heal statue. Use the 
Flying Bird to jump up the walls next to it. Bats will attack you at the top. 
There is nothing of note in the area below, so wall run to the next section of 
ledge. Jump up to grab the pole above you. When you are across from the chest, 
swing on the pole to jump to the ledge with the chest. It has Yellow Essence. 
Jump back onto the pole from here and keep going across it until you're above 
the next ledge. Drop down here. Wall run across the two walls to get to the 
next ledge.

A few ninja will attack you here, kill them, and then take care of the archer 
on 
the broken stairs. On the broken stairs, wall run across the two walls to get 
to a ledge at the top of the room. There is a shop statue on this ledge. Open 
the door and take out the ninja in this room... and don't do anything 'clever' 
like jumping into the giant fan blades. Climb the ladder to get to the ledge 
on the opposite side where the fire archer was. Pick up the Incendiary 
Shuriken from the dead ninja here. Use your new Shurikens to ruin the giant 
fans by throwing them at the blue part of the fans in the center.

Go through the fan on the right (in relation to where you entered the room.) 
Kill any ninjas in the area, then climb up the ladder on the right and wall 
run across to the archers to kill them. Throw an incendiary shuriken at the 
fan, the jump across to the chest behind it (on an upper ledge) containing 
Yellow Essence. There's nothing left in this area, so go through the other fan 
and down the hill, killing the ninjas along the way. Climb the ladder on the 
left, then go left at the top. Jump to the ledge opposite of you, and throw an 
Incendiary Shuriken at the fan. Wall run towards the horizontal pole and jump 
to it. Swing on this to get into the gap on the left side of the fan.

Emerge from the water and kill the bats hovering above you. Dive back down 
into the water and enter the large underwater tunnel. Come back to the surface 
on the other side of the tunnel, and kill the hovering bats. Two clawed ninjas 
will attack you when you get on the land. There is a save/health statue here 
and a dead ninja with arrows. Wall jump up the colorful shaft next to the dead 
ninja.

At the top, kill the two archers above you with your bow and arrows. Wall run 
on the right side across two walls to a chest with Red Essence inside. From 
this ledge, wall run on the left side onto the ledge across from you. Two 
clawed ninjas will attack you. After dealing with them, continue down the 
tunnel. Three more ninjas will attack you further down the tunnel.

Drop down when you reach the end of the tunnel. Several bat humanoids will 
attack you here. Just try to move around a lot to avoid their long ranged 
attacks. Continue through this cave area and jump up the steps at the end. 
Shoot the archers across from you with charged arrows before examining the 
dead ninja next to you. He has Notebook: Invisible Path. Wall jump across the 
walls to get to the area where the archers were standing. Use the shop on the 
other side if needed. Head along this path, and kill the ninjas that attack on 
the way. Continue across the narrow bridge towards the save/heal statue. Look 
on your left to see a large, blue, glowing thing on the ground. Run across the 
wall to get to this. Press the Right Bumper while standing on this and choose 
to begin the Test of Valor.

Test of Valor

You are in a closed off area with tons of enemies around you. To pass the 
test, you must kill all of them. Luckily, the enemies will still drop Blue 
Essence, as you'll be fighting about a hundred enemies. You can use your 
healing items if you need them, as well. You'll be fighting all the types of 
ninja you've come across so far. Once you've killed them all, a chest will 
appear, containing Lives of a Thousand Gods. Step back on the portal when 
you're done to return to the level.

Run back across the wall towards the save/heal statue and enter the large 
opening next to it. Jump down to the tracks below and kill the clawed and 
archer ninjas. Head towards the colorful, broken down train. Wall run across 
the train next to it to get inside.

Proceed through the train and exit through the open door on the right. After 
jumping down, you'll be attacked by several bat humanoids. Continue down the 
tracks until you see a short scene.

Boss Fight: Train Demon

Do not approach this boss when it is upright unless you wish to badly injure 
yourself. Attack it when it's upside down from below it. It will shoot out 
mini versions of itself. Try to avoid them as they'll blow up on contact with 
you. You can avoid damage completely by casting a Ninpo and aim it at the 
Train Demon's face to do some extra damage. Charge and shoot arrows at its 
face while it's upright for maximum damage. Occasionally he will shoot out a 
giant blue face. AVOID THIS AT ALL COSTS. It will probably kill you instantly. 
After about half of its health is gone, it will occasionally charge at you, 
ramming you against the wall. When he's down to about an eight of his health, 
he will fall to the ground. Use this opportunity to run up on him and finish 
him off with an Obliteration Technique by standing near its head.


--------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 4: A Captive Goddess (C4ACG) 3 Skulls

Alexei has transformed the Statue of Liberty into his own twisted base of 
operations. It is the source of the supernatural forces that twine through the 
city streets. As if laughing at the concept of "liberty," peals of thunder 
roar. harbingers of the threat facing civilization. The Statue must be 
reclaimed or humanity will suffer. After making his way to Liberty Island, 
Ryu's steely gaze now falls upon the Greater Fiend Alexei.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Kill the approaching bats after the scene. There is a shop on the right in 
case you need to restock on healing items. Continue down the tracks, fighting 
more bats along the way, then eventually three ninjas. Jump down the hole 
behind them and kill the ninjas at the bottom. Continue along the tracks, 
killing several ninja along the way. Go past the rubble on the left side of 
the tracks. When the rubble ends, go left to find a chest containing Red 
Essence. Eventually, you'll come to a station area. A few bat humanoids will 
attack you here. After dealing with them, jump up to the platform on the left 
and climb the stairs marked 'Exit.' There is a heal/save on the stairway. 

Kill the ninjas at the top of the stairs, making the purple ninjas a priority. 
Push your way through the turnstile on the left to find a chest containing an 
Herb of Spiritual Life. Kick open the door on the far side of the room to find 
a chest containing another Herb of Spiritual Life. Push through the turnstile 
next to the stairs and examine the dead ninja for arrows. Pass up the stairs 
for now, and continue to the end of the hallway to find a chest with Yellow 
Essence inside. A few ninjas will attack you on the way back to the stair 
area. Go up the stairs and throw an Incendiary Shuriken at the gate while 
you're standing right in front of it. You'll be attacked be two ninjas on your 
way up the stairs that follow to the outside.

Several dogs will attack you on the surface. Kill them using the Flying 
Swallow Technique or any aerial attacks to avoid unessacary damage. Go right 
along the water. Two purple ninjas will appear. Go along the right side of the 
Coin Laundry building. A couple ninjas will attack you on the way through the 
alley. Directly behind the building, in a dead end is a dead ninja with an 
Herb of Spiritual Life. Continue around the building and look above at the 
corner to see Crystal Skull #7 above. Run along the white brick wall, then 
the wall the ledge with the skull is located on to get to it. Go right at the 
end of the alley where you will see a heal/save statue and a ladder next to 
it. Ignore this for now and instead head down the path behind you. You will be 
attacked by three clawed ninjas on the way. At the dead end you will see three 
barrels. There is actually a chest containing Red Essence behind them. Stand 
near the barrels to open it. Head back towards the ladder and climb it.

There is a dead ninja with a Jewel of the Demon seal on this broken road. Go 
through the broken section of railing at the end and examine the dead ninja 
here for Incendiary Shurikens. Several bat humanoids and three giant bats will 
attack you as you continue forward. Throw an Incendiary Shuriken at the bats 
to kill them. Follow the curved broken road to the end to find a chest with 
Grains of Spiritual Life inside. Jump across the gap from the broken section 
of wall to get the Crystal Skull #8 on the other side. You can drop down here 
if you wish. There is a shop and a chest containing a Life of the Gods. You'll 
be attacked by a couple bat humanoids on the way back to where you dropped 
down from. Wall jump here to get to the top. 

Walk down the bridge and kill the bat humanoids that attack you on the way. At 
the end, you'll find a dead ninja with arrows and a ladder going up. Go up the 
ladder. There is a heal/save statue at the top. Head left at the statue. Throw 
Incendiary Shurikens at the giant bats that appear. Open the chest at the end 
for Grains of Spiritual Life. Head back towards the statue and continue past 
it until a few more giant bats attack you. Continue forward after dealing with 
them, to the dead end. You will see a cut scene upon approaching it.

Boss Fight: Goliath Fiend

Stay close to this boss or he will start throwing rocks at you. He attacks 
pretty slow, giving you time to use your Ultimate Technique. Just do this over 
and over again, while avoiding his attacks to quickly defeat him. If this 
doesn't work for you, simply get under his legs with the Lunar Staff, using 
its Y combos. When he's down to a little bit of health, he'll kneel down. 
Position yourself in front of his head and press Y to perform an OT.

After the scene, kill the bat humanoids and the giant bats. Go through the 
doorway. There is a dead ninja with arrows here. Kill the ninjas in the 
hallway and in the large room after it. Break the glass in front of the 
heal/save statue to use it. You can take the Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang 
through the broken glass in the exhibit to the left of a large statue you can 
examine. To the left of the weapon, you can restock your Incendiary Shurikens. 
Break open the glass in front of the display across from the blue portal to 
find The Vigoor Mythology. Break open the glass to the right of the Vigoor 
Mythology book. You should see the orignal Xbox Prototype. Examine this for 
infinite health refills. (Thanks to Broklynite for informing me about this.) 
Step on the blue portal to begin the second Test of Valor.

Test of Valor Two

This time it's all bat humanoids. They rarely seem to drop blue orbs, so try 
to conserve your health. The Obliteration Technique will be your best friend 
here. Use your Wind Ninpo if you're low on health and surrounded. When 
everything is dead, a chest will appear with a Talisman of Rebirth inside. 
Step back on the blue portal when you're done.

Head into the hallway to leave this area. It's across from the blue portal. A 
few ninjas will attack you here, and a few more when you reach the bigger 
room. Go up the stairs and perform a wall run to the right to land on a 
section of the balcony with a dead ninja lying on it. He has a Devil Way 
Mushroom. Wall run back to the stair area, this time going around the balcony 
the other way. Perform a wall run to get to the large window across from the 
stairs. A single bat humanoid will break the window and attack you. Jump down 
to the area below and kill the bat humanoids there.

There is a chest near the stairs on the right side with an Herb of Spiritual 
Life inside. You can't go up these stairs, so head for the stairs on the left 
and go up. Kill the bat humanoids and use Incendiary Shurikens at the giant 
bats. Go up the stairs when it's clear. There are bat humanoids and a giant 
bat here as well. Go up the next set of stairs. Go around the left side of the 
building, where giant bats and bat humanoids will attack you. Go in the open 
door on this side of the building. A few ninjas will attack you.

There is a chest in the alcove across from the door you entered through. It 
has a Lives of the Thousand Gods. Use the heal/save statue at the top of the 
stairs if you need it. From the save statue, wall run along the two walls and 
try to land on the first beam. Walk along this beam to the right, then drop 
down on a beam below with Crystal Skull #9 on it. Now go to the center of room 
and perform the Flying Bird in the shaft. Clawed ninja will attack you at the 
top. Jump onto the beams as you climb up the stairs. There is a chest on the 
furthest beam containing an Herb of Spiritual Life. Continue up the stairs to 
an enemy free room. Before going up the stairs, go to the small balcony 
outside. Kill the several giant bats outside, then open the chest containing a 
Life of the Gods item. 

Go up the stairs. There is a shop on this floor if you need it. There is a 
dead 
ninja at the bottom of the spiral staircase with a Devil Way Mushroom. Head up 
the spiral stairs when you're done. When you can't go any further up the 
stairs, turn left to see a broken section in the railing. Perform the Flying 
Bird on the section of wall across from this to get to the top, where you will 
be attacked by ninjas. There is a dead ninja with The Four Greater Fiends, 
Part 2 behind the stairs. Go up the spiral stairs. Eventually you'll get a cut 
scene.

Boss Fight: Alexei, Master of Lightning

Alexei will grab you every chance he gets, and if you're far from him, he will 
shoot lightning at you. Don't bother shooting arrows. The Fire Ninpo will 
damage him, as well as normal attacks. Every once in awhile he will create a 
tornado around himself and come at you. Try to avoid this by dashing. Spam Y 
with the Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang to rapidly decrease his health.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 5: The Aqua Capital (C5TAC) 3 Skulls

Elizebet's whereabouts remain unknown, but her twisted plans continue to 
unfold as she unleashes the fearsome power of the Demon Statue. Wherever she 
goes, its power awakens one of the Four Greater Fiends from his long slumber. 
The roar of Greater Fiend Volf, Ruler of Storms, echoes throughout a beautiful 
city of canals, transforming a Gothic castle into an evil fortress.
----------------------------------------------------------------------


After the scenes, move forward by land. Several ninja will appear, including 
purple ninjas. Continue forward. There is a shop down the wooden ramp. After 
you're done shopping, head up the stairs to encounter your first werewolves. 
They are fairly strong and will grab you. Their normal attacks can push you 
back pretty far. I like using a level 3 Wind Ninpo on them to cut off their 
arms... and, well, because it just looks awesome. Use the Obliteration 
Technique on them when they're missing a limb. The werewolves may through the 
body parts of dead werewolves at you as well.

Ignore the bridge/stairs for now and run along the short, brick wall and down 
a short flight of stairs. Examine the dead ninja at the bottom for the Kusari-
gama weapon. Go down the stairs and cross the water to the wooden walkway 
across from you. Walk to the right along this and around the corner. At the 
end of the walkway is a chest with Red Essence. Run across the water from here 
to the gondola across from your position. Giant sea-horse looking enemies will 
attack you in the water. Their blades are very damaging and their combos are 
fast. They will follow you to the land, allowing you to fight them easier. 
When you make it to the gondola, pick up Crystal Skull #10 from the seat. 
Head back towards the big bridge you passed before.

Cross the bride. When you get to a market area, more werewolves will attack. 
Take them out and continue. You can break the crates and barrels here for some 
Yellow Essence. There is a save/heal statue and a door at the end of the short 
tunnel. Enter through the door.

Werewolves will attack you upon exiting through the door. After killing them, 
grab Crystal Skull #11 from the table to the right of the door you came from. 
Cross the small bridge and kill the werewolves on the other side. You can use 
a Level 3 Wind Ninpo on them, followed by the Obliteration Technique to make 
quick work of them. Turn right, then right again to find an area to perform 
the Flying Bird in-between brick walls. Two ninjas will attack you up here. 
Pick up the Talisman of Rebirth from the dead ninja. Jump down and head 
straight, down a few steps to see a chest on the left containing an Herb of 
Spiritual Life. Cross back over the small bridge and head straight to a wide, 
brick road. Cross the next bridge before heading up the brick road. There is a 
dead ninja in the dead end area here with a Spirit of the Devils. This item 
will permanently increase your Ki.

Head up the wide, brick road into the pillared area. Three seahorse enemies 
will attack you here. Approach the fountain and jump in the water. A chest at 
the bottom contains the Gatling Spear Gun to use underwater. Enter the 
underwater tunnel next to the chest. Continue through the water and kill the 
octopus looking enemies with your new spear gun. They will explode if you 
touch them. Continue on and three centipede enemies will attack. To the right 
you will see a bunch of octopus enemies. They will respawn. You can farm as 
much Yellow Essence here as you want. Swim under them, as close to the ground 
as you can get, to pass them and find Crystal Skull #12 under the water. 
Return past the octopuses and continue through the water. Eventually you will 
come to a gondola on the right, in front of an open door. Climb onto the 
gondola to get inside.

Inside you will see a save/heal statue. Head up the stairs and go through the 
door. Kill the bat humanoids here. There is a shop on the right. There is 
another door you can go through near the shop. Enter it and open the chest 
inside. This contains the Bridge Gate Key. Press the Right Bumper near the 
lamp on the desk to find Hinomaru's Notebook.

Head left out of the door and open the large gate. Kill the werewolves that 
attack on the bridge and continue on. The dead ninja on the left inside the 
building has arrows. As you walk through this hallway, two werewolves will 
attack you. Grab the chest at the end of the hallway, containing Red Essence, 
then exit through the right. Use your arrows to shoot the two glowing switches 
across the water to lower a bridge. Jump onto the crates next to you and grab 
the horizontal pole on the left side of the bridge. Go across the pole and 
drop down when you get to the platform. Open the chest to get Life of the Gods.

Jump down into the water from here. Several centipedes will attack you. Make 
sure to keep an eye on your health. Head towards the waterwheels. The 
octopuses in this area will respawn. Swim under them and go to the left to 
reach a wooden platform. Jump and grab one of the poles on the water wheel. 
Hang on this until you see a wooden platform higher up. Swing and jump onto 
the platform. Wall run onto the turning wheel to get inside the building. 

Jump onto the slowly turning, circular pole and stay on this until you are 
above the platform with the chest. Drop down and open it for Lives of the 
Thousand Gods. Drop to the ground and exit through the door.

Three werewolves will attack you on the steps. Continue through the door way 
with the save/heal statue next to it. Several centipedes will attack upon your 
entrance, but luckily they aren't so formidable on land. Use your Wind Ninpo 
and Obliteration Technique on them. You will see a short 
cut scene after killing them all. Enter through the new doorway. 

Centipedes and bat humanoids will attack you inside. There is a shop in the 
wine cellar on the left and a chest containing Grains of Spiritual Life in the 
cellar on the right. Head down the center stairs. A couple centipedes and bat 
humanoids will attack you on the way. Keep going right at the bottom of the 
stairs and kill the attacking centipede and bat humanoid. The gate is locked 
at the moment, so turn the corner and head up the stairs, killing the bat 
humanoids and centipedes along the way. Open the chest in the wine cellar for 
the Copper Key. Use the key to open the locked gate, then take The Art of the 
Flame Phoenix Ninpo from the dead ninja. Leave the room and turn right down 
the center hallway, killing the bat humanoids and centipedes on the way. Open 
the chest at the top of the stair to get an Herb of Spiritual Life. Jump at 
one of the walls on the side, then press Y while in midair, above the cracked 
well to break it open and fall through.

Save at the heal/save statue before starting the third Test of Valor. When 
you're ready, step on the blue portal in the center of the large room.

Test of Valor Three

You're up against giant bats and werewolves. The best strategy I found was to 
basically run in a big circle, and cast the Level 3 Wind Ninpo to cut off the 
werewolves arms and occasionally kill bats. After casting the Ninpo, run 
around and cut off the werewolves arms. The bats are totally annoying in this 
part, but it's best to take care of the werewolves first. Use your bow and 
arrows to shoot down the bats. A dead ninja is in this area. You can replenish 
your arrows there. Upon winning, a chest will appear. It has a Jewel of the 
Demon Seal inside.

Now that the Test of Valor is taken care of, continue forward, passing the 
save point. Several centipedes will attack as you continue through the tunnel. 
If you get low on health and used all your healing items during the Test of 
Valor, use your Wind Ninpo to make things easier on you. The Lunar Staff works 
great here.

The big circular room you come to may seem like a dead end at first, but 
there's actually a small hole underwater in the very center. Open the chest 
near the hole before swimming through; it contains an Herb of Spiritual Life. 
Swim through and prepare to be confused and you reach the surface.

These ghost fish will actually attack you at certain points. If you're having 
trouble in this area, you can swim around until the fish attack you. They'll 
attack when you're near chests, as if guarding them, so use that to find the 
chests if you need to. Swim through the water, slashing at the fish. There is 
a chest with an Herb of Spiritual Life to the right of where you entered on 
top of a large, circular pillar under the water. Emerge from the water here 
and get on the above ground steps. Run along these until you get to stairs 
that go slightly higher than the ones you're on. The fish will attack you as 
you approach. There is a chest at the top of these stairs with Yellow Essence 
inside. Go left off of the stairs, hugging the rock wall. When you run into a 
bunch of pillars, go under water. The fish will attack you here. After you 
kill them, open the chest underwater, near the wall for Life of the Gods. 
Enter the circle of pillars to the left of the Life of the Gods chest. The 
fish will attack you here. Open the chest at the center of the pillars for a 
Devil Way Mushroom. There is another chest near the center of the room on a 
fallen pillar (In the huge rectangle of pillars.) It has the Skull Key inside 
of it. You will get a cut scene after opening it, so save this for last. 

Boss Fight: Water Dragon

The Water Dragon has several attacks. He will shoot crystal like things at you 
and if you're in the water, he likes to grab you. There will be ghost fish in 
the water. Use them for health if you need to. I got in the water right away 
and started slashing wildly at his neck/stomach with the Lunar Staff. You can 
also get on his back 
and attack him. Slash at his face whenever you get the chance to deal massive 
damage. I was able to kill him only getting hit once this way. At some point 
during the fight, he'll stretch his neck all the way up. While in front of his 
neck, press Y to perform an Obliteration Technique for extra Karma. The Lunar 
Staff is best here, again.

 I have received several emails about an alternate way to kill the 
dragon: charging and shooting arrows at it from the piece of land. The only 
way he can attack you is with his when he does his blow attack, which won't 
really effect your health as much. Be sure to have at least 25 arrows 
available. Thanks to Qpawnlady for the tip. In my experience, however, the 
arrows took awhile to kill him and the blow attack starting to take a toll on 
my health. In any case, try to take out at least a third of his health this 
way. 		

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 6: The Lycanthropes' Castle (C6TLC) 3 Skulls

The canals running through this city lead to a giant castle, a once-beautiful 
architectural legacy now transformed into the lair of the Greater Fiend Volf. 
Volf's iron fist reigns over an army of werewolves. He is a Berserker, as 
bloodthirsty as a beast, and his never-ending hunger for battle has led him to 
prepare a fitting arena for a duel to the death with the world's most powerful 
Ninja.
-------------------------------------------------------------------


A cut scene will show two pillars close together with a slab of rock in-
between them. Find these pillars and perform a Flying Bird. At the top go up 
the slanted roof on the left, then down on the other side. Turn around here to 
see a small ledge leading to Crystal Skull #13. Cross back over the ledge and 
continue left over the slanted roof. Look to the left to see a small hole with 
a chest containing Essence inside. Jump out of the hole and continue along the 
slanted roof and then jump off it to area with the Shop statue and a few ghost 
fish.

Jump across the series of pillars, being careful not to let the fish knock you 
down into the water. Turn left when you reach the small rooftop and jump 
across the pillars to the narrow path along the rock wall, leading to a chest 
with an Herb of Spiritual Life on the left side. A couple ghost fish will 
attack you as you approach it. Head the other way along the narrow ledge and 
wall run to cross the gap.

Centipedes will attack you on this wider ledge. Once they're dead, open the 
chest in a corner on the left containing Red Essence. Jump off the protruding 
slab of rock to a pillar, and then to a circular ledge. Fish will attack you 
here, just try not to fall off. Continue along the circular ledge until you 
see another series of pillars. Jump across the first two, then on a pillar on 
the left side to a ledge with a chest containing a Devil Way Mushroom. Jump 
back across to the 'main' set of pillars, then onto the walkway.

Enter the doorway at the end of the walkway. You should see a save/heal 
statue. Head into the cave where two centipedes will attack you. Two more 
groups of centipedes will attack as you continue through the cave. Look to the 
right near where the second group of centipedes attacked to see a dead ninja 
carrying a Jewel of the Demon Seal. Open the door at the end of the cave and 
enter.

This wasn't what I was expecting.. but okay.. If you stay on the ground here 
for awhile, a bunch of scorpion skeletons will attack you. Keep running around 
this room for awhile and eventually you'll see a cut scene. 

Boss Fight: Giant Skeleton

This guy will kill you in just a few hits. Your wind and fire Ninpos will 
damage him, but only a little. You can land a few attacks when you're under 
him, but if you stay there too long he'll start kicking you. Sometimes he'll 
grab you and bash you into the wall or hold you and drop a skull on your head, 
but this isn't as damaging as his kicks. If you're far away, he will kick 
bones at you. This is very damaging so try to avoid getting too far away. You 
can avoid most of his attacks simply by running and jumping around.. and even 
running along the wall. After damaging him a bit, he'll sit on the ground for 
a second. Attack him now at this time. When he gets up, continue to run and 
slash at his legs until you damage him enough and he sits down again. If 
you're still having trouble, try using your Ultimate Technique when you get a 
chance and just release it if you see he's about to attack. 

After the scene, jump between the two walls across from the door. Go along the 
narrow path and wall run to get across the gap. Centipedes will attack you 
when the path widens. There is also a chest here with Red Essence inside. 
Continue up the winding ledge and wall run to cross another gap. A few 
centipedes will attack on the other side.

Enter the doorway into a cave area where a few scorpion skeletons will attack 
you. Soon you'll come to a wide area where centipedes will attack. There is a 
chest on the left containing an Herb of Spiritual Life. Continue through the 
cave and kill the scorpion skeletons you run into. When you come to the large 
gap, jump towards the ledge and press Y while you jump to perform the Flying 
Swallow to cross the gap. Scorpion skeletons will greet you on the other side. 
Wall run to get across the next gap and kill the scorpion skeletons here, as 
well. Continue through the cave, fighting off more scorpion skeletons. When 
you come to the brick walls, wall jump to the wall directly across from you to 
reach the top.

Outside, slice the rope of the guillotine to drop the blade, revealing Crystal 
Skull #14 where the head would be. Use the save/heal statue and go up 
the stairs. There is a shop up here and a ladder to take you to the balcony of 
the tower. The chest on the balcony contains Grains of Spiritual Life. You 
will see a cut scene as you walk back down the stairs.

After the scene, two werewolves will attack you. Enter the door near the save 
statue and fight off the two werewolves that attack on the narrow stairs. Open 
the door at the bottom of the stairs and kill the werewolves inside. Head up 
the stairs and kill the centipedes on the way. There is a dead ninja with 
arrows between two cannons. Kill a second group of centipedes and continue up 
the stairs.

When you get to a large, level area, centipedes and giant bats will attack. Go 
all the way to the right, across the water to find a portal which will take 
you to the Test of Valor Four. (You can go back to the previous save statue 
and shop if you need to.)

Test of Valor Four

This test is excessively easy compared to the last one. It's just medium sized 
bats and centipedes. There aren't many centipedes and the bats hardly do 
anything, so it should feel more like a regular encounter. To make it even 
easier, use the Level 3 Wind Ninpo then the Obliteration Technique on the 
centipedes. You're rewarded with Lives of the Thousand Gods. Step back on the 
portal to return to the castle.

Go up the stairs and follow run along the balcony to the left to find a chest 
containing Red Essence. Turn around and go along the other side of the 
balcony. You'll be attacked by centipedes and then werewolves along the way. 
Use the save/heal statue if you need to, then climb the ladder. Examine the 
dead ninja behind the cannon for arrows if you need them, then perform a 
Flying Bird between the walls to the left of the dead ninja.

Shoot arrows at the bats at the top until they stop spawning. Go up the stairs 
and continue forward, killing the four werewolves that attack. Continue 
forward until you get a short cut scene. Swing across the poles you saw in the 
cut scene. Swing straight into the large, stained glass window of the church 
from the last pole. Several centipedes will attack you inside. Open the chest 
to get the Bronze Key. Leave through the door and examine the dead ninja in 
the courtyard for Inukoma's Notebook. Use the key to enter the steaming door. 
Jump down the hole and kill the two werewolves in the kitchen.

Continue into the storage area. There is a chest behind three barrels. There 
is a Life of the Gods item inside. Enter the door and use the heal/save statue 
on the right if you need to. Otherwise, go through the door on the left.

A bunch of werewolves will attack you upon enter the castle's entrance hall. 
Enter the door on the same side of the room as the one you entered through, 
into a dining room full of werewolves. After killing them, enter through the 
door. (Note: There are several doors but only one you can open.) Kill the 
werewolves in the hall, then go through the door at the end. Take out the 
centipedes in the next room, then examine the blue, glowing object on the 
ground to get the Cast Iron Key. Exit through the door to find yourself back 
in the entrance hall. Go up the center stairs then the left stairs. At the end 
of the balcony is a chest with an Herb of Spiritual Life inside. Turn around 
and go up the right staircase this time. Use the key on the door and enter.

Head up the stairs and use the save/heal statue on the way. Further up the 
stairs, you'll face a new kind of ninja, who throw Incendiary Shurikens. Go 
through the door when they're dead. Kill the incendiary ninjas in the library. 
Attack the bookcases, making the books fall off. This will reveal Crystal 
Skull #15. There is a dead ninja on the floor with The Four Greater Fiends, 
Part 3. Wall jump up the chimney and kill the centipedes at the top. Enter the 
door and kill the incendiary shuriken ninja inside. Wall jump up a second fire 
place after the ninjas are dead.

Outside, use the save/heal statue if you need to, then swing across the 
horizontal flag poles. If you're going for maximum enemy kills, drop down 
below the flag poles to kill two werewolves. Ignore the stairs for now and 
continue along the balcony and swing across the balcony with the flag poles to 
the other side. There is a shop and two chests here. The chests contain an 
Herb of Spiritual Life and Grains of Spiritual Life. Return to the staircase 
you passed earlier and enter the door at the top. 

Upon examination the door will be locked. Werewolves will approach behind you. 
Kill them all and you will see a shining blue light on the ground. Pick it up 
to get the Golden Key. Use it on the locked door. After the cut scene, use 
your level 3 Wind Ninpo on the werewolves and follow up with the Obliteration 
Technique to make quick work of them. Examine the throne when they're dead to 
reveal a trap door. Jump down the trap door.

Kill the four centipedes that attack, then open the chest on the left for an 
Herb of Spiritual Life. Continue through the sewer area. There will be a save 
statue on the right. Open the door at the end of the tunnel. Head down the 
stairs to the right, killing the centipedes along the way. There is a dead 
ninja with arrows on the draw bridge. Kill the giant bats here to reopen the 
door on the other side. Walk through the hall and enter the door at the end 
for a cut scene.

Boss Fight: Volf, Ruler of Storms

Volf carries a large scythe that he will use to quickly deteriorate your 
health if you don't block effectively. As long as you block or dodge his 
attacks and continue to land combos on him, he should fall fairly quick. 

You'll obtain the Eclipse Scythe after the scene. Ryu will be automatically be 
equipped with this, so if you're going for a single weapon achievement change 
your weapon now. Kill the angry werewolves until you get a cut scene.


---------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 7: The Flying Fortress Daedalus (C7FFD) 2 Skulls

The fanged fortress of the wolf-beast toppled, Ryu and Sonia leave his twisted 
arena behind, taking to the skies in search of Elizebet. Ever northward, she 
is carried on wings of darkness, borne through the skies by the flying 
fortress Daedalus. She must be stopped, but the army of Genshin, sworn enemy 
of the Hayabusa clan, stands between Ryu and his quarry.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

You'll be shot by turrets upon starting this level. Charge and arrow and shoot 
it at each turret to blow them up. After destroying all six of them, open the 
chest on the right containing arrows. Mobile turrets will attack you know. Ryu 
can deflect most of the bullets by blocking. Move away from the mobile turrets 
after destroying them because they will explode. Continue forward after 
destroying the mobile turrets. There is a shop on the left side of the room. 
Open the doors and a security system will lock them behind you and dispatch 
technical ninjas to try to get rid of you. Luckily, they are told not to use 
explosives. They do, however, carry guns. Go around the right side to find a 
chest with Red Essence in a dead end. More tactical ninjas are on the left 
side of the large 'square,' as well as a save statue and a door to exit the 
area from.

Kill the tactical ninjas inside, then continue forward. A chest on the left 
contains an Herb of Spiritual Life and the chest on the right has a bit of red 
essence. Exit through the door next to the chest. Kill the technical ninjas in 
the hallway and continue forward. Run all the way around the walkway to a dead 
end to find a chest with Life of the Gods inside. Enter the doors you passed 
on the way to the chest. Kill the two mobile turrets inside, then press the 
switch. The platform you're on will lower.

You'll face a large mech at the bottom. He'll take a lot of hits to kill, so 
use the Ultimate Technique on him. He will make a giant explosion upon death, 
so keep away from him at that time. Enter the door and kill the tactical 
ninjas inside. Pick up Crystal Skull #16 from the floor, to the left of the 
command station. Use the save/heal statue if you need it. Attack the command 
station to destroy it.

Back track to the previous room. Kill the tactical ninjas and another mech and 
continue through the door. Kill the tactical ninjas and then open the chest 
located next to the railing for Life of the Gods. Exit through the door and 
into a hallway. Kill the two tactical ninjas. If you walk into the lasers they 
will shock and damage Ryu, as well as set off an alarm, bringing more tactical 
ninjas into the room. Go through the door on the right.

Kill the ninjas on this bridge area and continue forward, through the next 
door. Kill the three tactical ninjas inside. There are two chests on the left. 
They have arrows and Red Essence inside. Destroy all the command consoles and 
shoot arrows at the glass cylinders in the room. Return over the bridge and 
kill the ninja carrying a rocket launcher on the other side. Enter the door 
previously blocked by lasers.

Kill the tactical ninjas and rocket ninjas inside, obviously making the rocket 
ninjas the first priority. There is a shop and a save/heal statue inside the 
door on the left. Continue down the hallway to kill more rocket and tactical 
ninjas, then enter the door on the left. There is a dead ninja on one of the 
beds with Yogenta's Notebook. Exit onto the elevator and kill the tactical 
ninja at the top. You can attack the command center on the right for some 
Yellow Essence. Climb up the ladder when you're done.

The two chests in this room contain Lives of the Thousand Gods and an Herb of 
Spiritual Life. Go through the door and kill the tactical ninjas and two 
rocket ninjas inside. The door on the right contains a chest with The Art of 
the Piercing Void inside and the other has a blue portal to take you to Test 
of Valor #5.

Test of Valor Five

You'll be fighting tactical ninjas, rocket ninjas, and mechs. The mechs are 
the main problem, so focus on them first. I used the Level 3 Wind Ninpo on 
almost every mech, then used the Obliteration Technique. Don't do this if 
you're low on health, though, as you rarely will be able to get away from the 
explosions when the mech is destroyed. Don't be surprised if you go through 
every item in your inventory. It may be a good idea to equip a Talisman of 
Rebirth if you don't mind sparing it. The ninjas will be a lot easier to kill 
when the mechs stop coming, and it will seem like a piece of cake to finish 
them off without the annoying mechs. You'll be rewarded with two chests this 
time. The chest on the left has a Jewel of the Demon Seal. The chest on the 
right has a little surprise inside - ghost fish. Don't even open it if you're 
low on health; if they kill you you'll have to complete this trial again. I'm 
sure the developers got a kick out of adding that. Return to the blue portal 
when you're finished

Hit the switch to open a door in the floor. Jump down. There are two chests 
and two dead ninjas on the ground. The chests contain arrows and Grains of 
Spiritual life. The dead ninja on the right has the Tonfa weapon and the one 
on the left has Incendiary Shurikens. Enter the door and kill the rocket and 
tactical ninjas inside. Crystal Skull #17 is to the right of the door 
you entered from in front of some rubble. Exit through the door at the end of 
the hallway and kill the three mobile turrets outside. Stock up on items at 
the shop if you need to. Hit the switch and ride the platform down.

Kill the three mobile turrets at the bottom. Enter the door, pull out your 
bow, and shoot fully charged arrows at the four turrets on the ceiling. Jump 
down and climb up the ladder and enter the door on the other side. There is a 
save point and another door inside. Save and go through the next door. Examine 
the dead ninja on the right for a Devil Way Mushroom. Kill the rocket and 
tactical ninja down the hallway and continue through the door and kill the 
ninja in the next room. Cross over the bridge for a cut scene.

Go through the door. The chest on the left contains an Herb of Spiritual Life. 
Kill the ninjas in this room exit through the door for another cut scene.

Cross the bridge after the scene and kill the ninjas in the next room. Enter a 
long hallway through the door and kill the rocket and tactical ninjas inside. 
There is a chest to the left of the next door with a little bit of Blue 
Essence inside. Go through the door to find a shop and another door. Enter 
through the next door. Use your bow to destroy three turrets on the ceiling. 
Jump down and climb the ladder across from you to find a heal/save statue and 
a door. Enter the door for a scene.

Boss Fight: Genshin, the Second Time

Genshin is joined by Incendiary Shuriken ninjas this time, but your strategy 
will be the same as the first time you fought him. Just be aggressive, but 
dodge his combos when he starts them. You will still take damage if you block 
instead of dodge. Aeriel attacks do not work well on him.

Boss Fight: Fiery Armadillo

His attacks are easy to avoid. He'll shoot a bunch of fire balls out, breathe 
fire, and roll up into a ball and jump and roll around. They can be avoided by 
just running out of the way. Throw Incendiary Shurikens or charged arrows at 
his face for maximum damage. When he gets low on health he will completely 
light on fire and constantly shoot fireballs out. Throw another Incendiary 
Shuriken at him and he will fall to the ground. Finish him off, then hold down 
the Left Trigger to block. He will teleport next to you, explode, then kill 
you if you don't.


--------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 8: Submit, or Die! (C8SOD) 4 Skulls

Several hundred kilometers north of the snowy crash-site of the Daedalus, 
Greater Fiend Zedonius has awakened to threaten a once-great military state. 
The malevolent Ruler of Flame issues an ultimatum handed down from the 
Infernal Priest Dagra Dai to the people of the world: Accept the yoke of the 
almighty Archfiend, or die. And so Earth's baptism by fire begins. The taunts 
of the Greater Fiend of Flame fill Ryu's mind.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Moving forward, there is a shop and a chest to the left with arrows inside. 
Two enemies will run behind a blockade ahead. They carry rocket launcher that 
shoot multiple rockets at once. There is a possibility that they will end up 
killing themselves on accident (this happens if you can get close to them and 
jump around a little bit.), but if they don't, shoot a fully charged arrow at 
their heads from behind the cover of the other blockade. Two more rocket 
launchers will run behind the blockade after you kill the first two.

Around the corner, there are a total of four rocket launchers. Head back to 
the corner you just turned, and shoot your arrows at them from there; they 
will not shoot rockets at you from this location. Continue forward. When you 
come to the burning helicopter, three mechs will come after you. If you have 
The Art of the Piercing Void upgraded to at least level two, a well place shot 
will tear a mech in half. If you see them hovering in the air, move out of the 
way to avoid being crushed. You can also try using the Ultimate Technique to 
rid yourself of them, if you get the chance. There are two more rocket 
launchers ahead. There aren't really any good places you can use for cover, 
either. Just try to shoot an arrow at their heads while the rockets are in the 
air, before they hit you. (Note: There seems to be a glitch of sorts at this 
part. If you walk back to the chest with arrows near the start of the level, 
the rocket launchers may be gone when you come back. You can try this if 
you're having a lot of trouble.) Move forward after they have been dealt with.

Around the corner, open the chest with Red Essence. Four more rocket launchers 
are behind a blockade ahead. If you stand behind the light post (located 
behind the broken tank) the rocket launchers will not fire at you, and you are 
given a great view of their heads. Go up the stairs and through the tunnel, 
using the save/heal statue on the way. Dogs will approach you outside. They 
somehow have the ability to throw Incendiary Shurikens at you. Take them out 
and open the chest to the left of the tunnel. It has an Herb of Spiritual Life 
inside. Enter the building when you're done.

There are tactical ninjas and rocket launchers inside. After taking out the 
tactical ninjas, perform a wall jump on either side of the door you entered 
from to get to the level above, where the rocket launchers are located. You 
can either shoot arrows at them or run up on them and kill them, running on 
the wall on the way to avoid getting hit. Ninpos can work well too, as you 
can't be hurt during them. Either way, two more rocket launchers appear on 
another 'bridge' after you kill the first two. I found nothing of note inside 
the building, except for a shop in the room on the first floor. Exit the 
building through the doorway opposite of the one you entered from.

Did you notice those small circular objects on the ground in the short cut 
scene? Those are mines, don't step on them. Walk through the middle of the 
rows of mines. Do not walk into the snow after the initial set of mines right 
away. There are actually mines under the snow? See the set of footprints? 
Lightly push your analog sick and walk along the footprints to avoid the mines.

Once across the mines, you will immediately be greeted with a rocket to the 
face. There is a chest here containing arrows if you need them. Several rocket 
ninjas will be shooting rockets at you from the windows of a building ahead. 
They will respawn for awhile, so you'll end up having to kill around 20 of 
them or so. I wouldn't recommend continuing until you kill them all. All I can 
say is to be patient and shoot arrows at their heads. Standing near the left 
wall will help block the rockets being shot at you from the left windows.

Continue forward and keep an eye out for mines on the land. Follow the 
footprints to cross patches of snow (or jump over the snow completely using 
the Flying Swallow Technique.) There is a dead ninja with a Devil Way Mushroom 
and Crystal Skull #18 is at the end of this road, to the left. There are mines 
surrounding the Crystal Skull and I do not believe there is a way to get 
around them, so prepare to take some damage. Shoot an arrow at the turrets 
around the corner before taking these items. Follow the footprints through the 
snow ahead. Jump on top of the platform the turret on the right was on. There 
is a dead ninja here with a Devil Way Mushroom.

Enter the large gate and use the save/heal statue as you probably need it. 
Enter the door and kill the Incendiary Shuriken Ninjas. Use the Level 3 Wind 
Ninpo for an easy win. Enter the door on the right and head up the stairs. 
They are broken, so wall run to the next section of stairs. Continue to wall 
run across the gaps in the broken stairs and enter the doorway at the top.

Jump and grab the circular pole and move to the left. Swing off when you pass 
the large column and examine the dead ninja for a Life of the Gods item. Jump 
back on the pole, going left, and swing off at the next opening. Go up the 
stairs and across the short balcony. Go down the stairs on the left and 
examine the dead ninja for the Bell Key. Return across the balcony and use the 
key to open the door. Make sure to walk down the stairs instead of just 
jumping. Crystal Skull #19 is located in one of the alcoves, next to a candle. 
Exit through the doorway. Open the golden doors in the next room and jump down 
the hole.

Make your way forward, killing the bats along the way. Eventually you will 
enter a large train station. There is a chest containing Red Essence at the 
end. When you approach the train some Incendiary Shuriken ninjas will attack. 
Kill them then enter the train from the door nearest to the back of the train. 
The first room in the train contains Crystal Skull #20. Enter the door on the 
left side of this room for a short scene. Examine the body on the bed for the 
Dignitary's ID Card. Leave this room and enter the other room on the train to 
find a chest containing Grains of Spiritual Life. Exit the train and head up 
the stairs. Enter the door at the top.

Use the save/heal statue, and enter the door at the top of the center stairs.

Boss Fight: Goliath Fiend, Second Time

Your Fire Ninpo will do massive damage to him. You can also charge an Ultimate 
Technique to take a good chunk of his health. Otherwise, slash at his legs and 
dodge his attacks. At some point during the fight, two mechs and a couple 
rocket ninjas will join him. You can use a level 3 Wind Ninpo followed by the 
Obliteration Technique to take the mechs out fast, however you will likely be 
damaged when they blow up. When the boss is almost dead you can press Y for a 
cool finishing move.

After the scene, head through the hole in the wall, then fall through the hole 
in the floor. You can take the large book on the ground. It is The Rule of the 
King of Darkness. Continue down the hallway, killing the three Incendiary 
Shuriken Ninjas. There is a dead ninja inside the last cell on the right with 
Incendiary Shurikens. Head down the stairs. There is a dead ninja in the third 
cell with Life of the Gods. Continue to the end of the hall and open the last 
gate at the dead end. Charge and throw an Incendiary Shuriken at the crack in 
the wall then jump down to the room below. 

Kill the centipedes then look for the chest on the floor, across from where 
you entered. It has Red Essence inside. Head to the stairs, killing the ghost 
fish along the way. Wall jump at the end of the tunnel to reach a cell above. 
Throw and charged Incendiary Shuriken or a charged arrow at the crack to break 
it open and enter through.

There is a chest on the left with an Herb of Spiritual Life inside. There is a 
heal/save statue down the stairs, next to another set of stairs. Open the 
large door in the center to find a blue portal with a chest next to it with 
arrows. Step on the portal to begin the Test of Valor.

Test of Valor 6

This test is against mobile turrets and rocket launchers. The mobile turrets 
are slow, so take on the rocket launchers first. I advise using the Flying 
Swallow on them. When all the rocket launchers are gone, start taking out the 
mobile turrets. There are a lot of them and they will slowly wear your health 
down. Run and jump around in a large circle and perform Flying Swallows on 
them over and over again. Two chests will appear after winning. Ghost fish are 
in the one on the left and a Jewel of the Demon Seal in the right chest. Step 
back on the blue portal when you're done.

 Go up the set of stairs next to the save statue and kill the Incendiary 
Shuriken ninjas on the balcony. Move forward to find a shop and a ladder. You 
should be in a large room with several moving gears. Jump up the first three 
gears. Incendiary Shuriken ninjas will attack you at this point. From the flat 
gear you're on, jump to the vertical turning gear next to it. This gear is 
moving so immediately jump to the horizontal pole above to avoid being crushed 
between the two gears below. Swing across the series of poles to land on a 
horizontal gear. Jump to the horizontal gear next to it, then onto the 
vertical gear. Incendiary Shuriken ninjas will attack here. Jump back to the 
horizontal gear and kill the ninjas that don't get crushed in the two gears. 
Jump across the two vertical gears and then onto the horizontal gear. There 
should be a large, spinning wheel with horizontal poles in front of you. Jump 
and grab one of the poles and swing off onto the horizontal gear on the other 
side. (There is a platform under the wheel, so don't worry if you miss.) 
Crystal Skull #21 is on this gear. Jump onto the ramp from here.

Examine the dead ninja for Izo's Notebook. Look next to the dead ninja to find 
Koshimaru's Notebook (1). Jump on the vertical gear on the other side of the 
platform, then onto the horizontal one next to it. Grab there circular pole 
from here. Swing off onto the vertical gear ahead and immediately jump to the 
horizontal gear on it's right. Open the chest here for Grains of Spiritual 
Life. Jump up the series of horizontal gears and eventually across two 
vertical gears and onto a platform with a save/heal statue. Head up the ramp 
and into the center of the large platform for a scene.

Boss Fight: Zedonius, Ruler of Flame

Try to stay close to him to avoid getting pummeled by flame. You can kill him 
pretty quickly simply by landing combos and dodging his attacks. He'll grab 
you a lot, but this move isn't as damaging as his regular attacks. He also 
likes to hover in the air and throw fireballs, just dodge when he does this. 
If all else fails, spam the Flying Swallow (he will dodge this a lot, but you 
should still be able to get a few good hits on him this way) or Ultimate 
Techniques. 


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 9: Heart of Darkness (C9HOD) 4 Skulls

Elizebet's trail leads to an ominous realm in South America. This unholy land 
conceals the final component to resurrecting the Archfiend. Ryu Hayabusa 
penetrates its dark mangroves that teem with the heavily-armed forces of the 
Black Spider Ninja Clan on a path to the lair of the Archfiend. Ryu journeys 
through a jungle far from civilization, a mysterious place where the secrets 
of the ancients dwell.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Move through the trees until reaching a large swamp area, killing the 
attacking tactical and rocket ninjas on the way. Shoot an arrow at the rocket 
ninja from across the swamp. Take a look at the water before jumping in; you 
will see octopuses under the water. You can use your Gatling Spear Gun to kill 
them. They will respwan for awhile, however. There is a shop next to the 
building but nothing else, so continue through the water. There will be more 
octopuses ahead. You can either kill them or just avoid them.

Eventually you'll come to another shack with two rocket ninjas. Inside the 
building is a save/heal statue and a dead ninja with arrows. From the back of 
the porch, approach the water and prepare to be annoyed. Several rocket 
launchers will appear and they respawn for awhile. You have to kill all of 
them. You probably will only be able to shoot an arrow at one or two of them, 
so you'll have to run around on the water and throw incendiary bolts and/or 
attempt to run up on them. Either way, keep moving to avoid the hundreds of 
rockets. If you run low on health you can move away from them, to the area you 
started in and the game will consider you to be far enough away to refill your 
health bar, even though the rockets can still reach you. Just when you think 
it's finally over and all the rocket launchers are dead, hovering mechs will 
attack you on the water. Did I mention that also fire rockets? They aren't as 
hard as the rocket launchers. You can cast Ninpo from the water to help take 
care of the hovering mechs. They explode when they die, so stay away. You will 
see a short cut scene when everything is dead.

Now to expolore the area... There is a chest containing an Herb of Spiritual 
Life and Crystal Skull #22 on the walkway with the search light post across 
from your entrance area. Follow the assortment of shacks from here. The next 
one has three chests with arrows, Blue Essence, and a Devil Way Mushroom. 
There is another chest up the stairs from here with a Life of the Gods inside. 
Go to the right after coming back down the stairs and jump up to the floor of 
another shack with a chest filled with Red Essence. Perform a wall run here to 
reach the next shack. There is a dead ninja and a chest; each have an Herb of 
Spiritual Life. Move through this shack and jump down to the second 
searchlight post. Kick open the gate behind it to find a chest the Jade Mask 
inside.

Head back towards the water and what do you know... there are more hovering 
mechs. Take them out with ninpo or regular attacks. Enter the area next to the 
second search light and place the Jade Mask on the god circle on the wall. 
Enter the now open gate and swim a short distance to land. There is a chest to 
the left containing Blue Essence. Tread through the water, if you like, but 
there are only a few octopuses and a large tree at the end. Instead, swing 
across the tree branches in front of you to cross over the water and reach a 
path ahead.

Kill the tactical ninjas along the path. When you reach the end, shoot charged 
arrows at the two rocket ninjas across the water. Jump up and grab the rope 
above you. Pay close attention to the surrounding area as you move across the 
rope; there is a short series of branches you can swing to from the rope, to 
reach Crystal Skull #23 and a shop. Continue along the rop when you're 
finished.

Head up the path and kill the tactical ninjas that attack. There is a small 
sidepath to the left, just before the save/heal statue. Follow it to find a 
chest containing Red Essence. Go down the path next to the save/heal statue. A 
bunch of spiked bugs will attack you here. Spam the Flying Swallow on them. 
Perform an Ultimate Technique on the large, cracked boulder to break it. Fall 
down the hole after you've busted your way through.

Run through the cave, killing the bats and spiked bugs as you go. Eventually 
there will be a small side room on the right. I am not going to mention these 
side rooms as there is one almost every two feet, and I didn't find anything 
of real intrest in any of them. Much further down the cave you will hear a 
rumbling sound and see a boss health bar pop up on your screen. Enter a nearby 
side room when you hear the rumbling to avoid getting rolled over right away.

Boss Fight: Cave Worm

This is probably the easiest boss in the game. Stand in the tunnel after the 
worm passes and charge an Ultimate Technique. Release it when the worm gets 
close to you. You can tell which way he is coming from by how loud his 'sound' 
is. Watch down the side with the loud sound for the worm. Slash him as much as 
you can after releasing the technique and use the Flying Swallow to get close 
to him if you are too far. Rinse and repeat this until he's dead. To make it 
even easier, most of the side rooms have eggs inside. You can break these and 
kill the spiked bugs for Essence. 

Follow through the rest of the tunnel and jump down the hole. If you are 
walking for a long time you are going the wrong way. Use the save/heal statue 
at the bottom. Enter the water before you. Crystal Skull #24 is on the 
outskirts of the swamp. Several worms will attack you from the water, often 
emerging under you. Flying Swallow works wonders on them. Proceed up the path. 
You'll find a dead ninja on the way. Take the Vigoorian Flail from him. 
Continue down the path until you reach a large lake.

There are large, red, fish like enemies in the lake. Jump in the water and 
kill them with the spear gun. There is a chest at the bottom of the lake on 
the small pillar ruin. You'll find Grains of Spiritual Life inside. Get on the 
land next to the building with the large skull. There is a dead ninja with a 
Devil Way Mushroom and a chest containing a Jewel of the Demon Seal. Climb 
onto the ruined bridge. There is a shop, save/heal statue, and a blue portal 
here. Step on the portal when you're ready to begin the Test of Valor.

Test of Valor 7

Yes, they are serious: just skeleton scorpions and spiked bugs. You should be 
able to clear them out within a minute or two, without using any items or 
Ninpo. Two chests will appear: a Talisman of Rebirth on the left and, what do 
you know, ghost fish on the right. Step back on the portal when you're 
finished.

Examine the decorative wall next to the shop. Kill the chainsaw weilding 
fiends in the area. Use Obliteration on them when they're missing a limb. 
They're fairly easy enemies. After dealing with them, kill the red fish that 
reappear in the previous lake. Open the wall once everything is dead.

Proceed left out the door to find a chest with Yellow Essence. Jump into the 
water and swim through the long tunnel. Climb onto the land and follow the 
path along the stream until you get a cut scene. Jump into the lake to find 
Crystal Skull #25 on the left wall, next to a dead ninja. Kill the chainsaw 
aliens that attack and continue forward. Kill the two chainsaw aliens along 
the stone path. There is a dead ninja with arrows in the stone circle ahead. 
Step in the center of the circle for a scene.

Boss Fight: Gold Dragons X2

The dragons will shoot lasers and fireballs. Both are easily avoidable by 
simply running away from them, but very damaging if they do hit you. You can 
fire arrows at them, though you probably won't be able to charge them while 
both dragons are still around. If you have a level 3 Fire Ninpo, use it when 
the two dragons are near you to deal massive damage to both dragons. When only 
one dragon is left, fire charged arrows until it dies as well.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 10: The Temple of Sacrifice (C0TOS) 2 Skulls

A great waterfall parts before Elizebet as if in fear of the Demon Statue held 
high above her head in a rain of blood. Behind it lies the gaping entrance to 
a massive cavern. The stench of blood reeks from its sculpted interior Upon 
this altar, Infernal Priest Dagra Dai will breathe life into the Demon Statue 
once again. Ryu Hayabusa closes in on his quarry.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Use the shop on the left if you need to, then head up the path. Two blood 
centipedes will attack a little further up. They are like the regular 
centipedes, only noticeably stronger. Continue up the path, killing three more 
blood centipedes. Wall run across the gap and continue up the path, killing 
several blood centipedes on the way. Look to your right to find a chest 
containing an Herb of Spiritual Life, then take the path going downwards near 
it. There is another chest at the bottom, to the right, with a Devil Way 
Mushroom inside. Go to the left of this area to find another chest with a Life 
of the Gods inside. Head back to the upper area and wall run across two walls 
to reach the other side.

Blood centipedes and bat humanoids will attack you here. There is also a dead 
towards the right with Denji's Notebook. Use the heal/save statue further up 
the path and proceed forward. There are two bipedal tarantulas that will 
attack on the narrow, cliff path. They are strong, take a lot of hits, and 
will often block the Flying Swallow. Use the Flying Swallow anyway. It will 
kill them eventually and keep you from taking too much damage. Examine the 
dead ninja further up for a Devil Way Mushroom, then a second dead ninja 
further up with Grains of Spiritual Life. 

Enter the large, slime filled room after the save point. A worm and several 
bugs will appear. Kill the worm first with the Flying Swallow and then take 
care of the spiked bugs. The dead ninja on the rock to the right has 
Incendiary Shurikens. Examine the pillar ahead to lower it, then perform a 
wall jump. Wall run across the two opposing walls to a ledge on the other 
side. Turn around from here and wall run across the left wall to reach a 
platform with Crystal Skull #26 on it. Jump to the floor from here and kill 
the spiked bugs at the bottom. Open the chest for Blue Essence. Wall jump back 
up to where you entered the area, then run across the two opposing walls 
again. This time, head forward down the path. 

Kill the worms with the Flying Swallow ahead and continue on. Examine the 
pillar to open the way ahead. Jump down the hole and the end and use the 
save/heal statue. There are several giant bats ahead. Shoot charged arrows at 
them while they're shooting fireballs. If you stand far back in the cave most 
of the fireballs will miss. Look towards your left on the way down the stairs. 
You should see Crystal Skull #27; grab it when you reach the bottom, then open 
the chest on the right of the stairs for an Herb of Spiritual Life. Kill the 
blood centipedes in the next area. There is a large, circular switch on the 
ground. Jump into the air and press Y while in mid air to press the switch in. 
A skeleton cage will lower along with several blood centipedes inside. Kill 
them then examine the dead ninja for a Jewel of the Demon Seal.

Follow the path to find a dead ninja with arrows, then continue on. Jump down 
to the area below and kill the chainsaw aliens at the bottom. Continue forward 
when they're dead. Kill the giant bats that attack on the cliff area and 
continue until you reach a shop. Kill the bat humanoids and cross the bridge. 
Kill the chainsaw aliens on the other side. Use the save/heal statue and step 
on the blue portal when you're ready to begin a Test of Valor.

Test of Valor 8

This one is ghost fish and blood centipedes. It's actually pretty easy. Don't 
be surprised if you don't even need any items. The fish will end up dying 
pretty quickly. You can use the wind Ninpo around groups of blood centipedes, 
followed by the obliteration technique to take them out fast. Three chests 
will appear. The one on the left had ghost fishes, the right has Blue Essence 
and the chest in the back has Yellow Essence. Step back on the portal. 

Jump and press Y in midair on the large switch on the ground ahead. This will 
lower a second cage along with two blood centipedes and a dead ninja with 
Grains of Spiritual Life. Continue forward, jumping down to the ground below. 
Follow the path to find a chest containing an Herb of Spiritual Life, and 
continue on. There is a dead ninja with arrows right before the giant bats 
attack ahead. Take them out with arrows and move forward.

Kill the blood centipedes and open the chest to the right of the walkway with 
pillars. An Herb of Spiritual Life is inside. You will see a cut scene a 
little further ahead. Go to your left to see a dead ninja and another large, 
circular switch. The dead ninja has an Herb of Spiritual Life. A Gold Dragon 
will be released from the cage after hitting the switch.

Boss Fight: Gold Dragon

It's by itself, so just shoot charged arrows or use your Fire Ninpo until it 
dies.

Open the chest that appeared in the center area for the Bone Relief. Place the 
Bone Relief in the glowing, green square in front of the door, and the door 
will open. Enter the door. At least 100 ninjas will come rushing down the 
stairs at you. This part is notorious for serious slow down. The ninjas should 
be no problem after what you have been facing, especially considering the Wind 
Ninpo will take several of them out at once. 

There is a chest to the right of the doorway at the top of the stairs. You'll 
find Red Essence inside. Enter the doorway, examine the white wall to lower 
it, then drop down. Use the shop if you need to and the heal/save statue. Open 
the door to be attacked by bat humanoids and a super bat humanoid. Just chop 
off their arms and OT away. Head down the long ramp. There is a chest to the 
left and right at the end, containing Red and Blue Essence. The Prayer of the 
Necromantale is located on the right side of the stairs. Head up the stairs 
and examine the door for a cut scene. 

Boss Fight: Elizebet, Ruler of Blood

She likes to spam a move similar to your Flying Swallow, so spam that back at 
her and combine it with Y combos for a cheap, but easy win.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 11: A Tempered Gravestone (C1ATG) 3 Skulls

Ryu returns to Hayabusa Village, resting in the shadow of sacred Mount Fuji. 
It is his final stop before heading to unholy ground, to the source of the 
supernatural forces threatening the world. Dragon Sword in hand, Ryu's body 
courses with unfathomable power. Atop the mountain from which this evil pours 
forth, Genshin awaits, intent on claiming the life of the last of the Dragon 
Lineage. The inevitable confrontation between Ryu and Genshin approaches.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

You now have the True Dragon Sword. This replaces the original Dragon Sword. 
Head down the stairs and follow the path, killing regular ninjas, archers, and 
Incendiary Shuriken ninjas along the way. Eventually you'll come to a shop. 
Head down the stairs and use the save/heal point after killing the ninjas in 
the area. At the end of the cave to the left of the save statue is a dead 
ninja with arrows. Continue down the path to the right of the save statue, 
killing several ninjas along the way.

Several ninjas will attack in the courtyard area. A few Incendiary Shuriken 
ninjas will attack in the building on the left. Head down the walkway to the 
right of this and kill the archers at the end. There is a save/heal statue in 
the next area as well as a dead ninja with arrows. Head down the stairs and 
open the door. Kill the Incendiary Shuriken ninjas, then cross the bridge. 
Open the door and kill several dogs and a few fire archers. Head up the stairs 
and pick up the Jizo Statue Head on them. 

Examine the light colored gravestone shown in the short cut scene to find 
Kureha's Room Key. Back track to the large courtyard. You know, the one with 
that door you could never get into, with the two poles with snakes wrapped 
around them? Use the key on that door. There are three chests inside: the one 
on the left has a Spirit of the Devils, the one on the right has Yellow 
Essence, and the center chest has the Windmill Shuriken. 

Cross back over the bridge. Two bipedal tarantulas will attack along with 
Incendiary Shuriken ninjas. Kick open the door on the left once they're dead. 
Use the shop if you need to and open the chest on the right for Red Essence. 
Climb the ladder and examine the dead ninja for the History of the Castle of 
the Dragon. Jump out the window when you're done.

Kill the ninja at the bottom, then open a chest to the left for Red Essence. 
Head to the right from where you jumped out the widow. At the end of the row 
of houses, turn right. There is a dead ninja here with an Herb of Spiritual 
Life. Behind the house is Crystal Skull #28 behind a wheel. Return to the main 
road and place the Jizo Statue Head on the statue missing its head, to the 
left of the doorway. A chest will appear at the house up the hill, behind you. 
Open it to receive Blue Essence. 

Enter the doorway and kill the Incendiary Shuriken ninjas, then use the 
heal/save statue. Cross the bridge, killing the attacking mage and Incendiary 
Shuriken ninjas along the way. Jump into the water further up the path and 
swim through the tunnel. Climb onto the land and kill the attacking ninjas. 
Break open the doors of the small, wooden structure on the right and take 
Crystal Skull #29 inside. 

Continue up the path and take out the Incendiary Shuriken and archer ninjas 
ahead. Follow the path, killing several more ninjas along the way. Climb into 
the cave tunnel and use the save/heal statue at its entrance. Enter the cave 
to find a chest on the right containing an Herb of Spiritual Life and a portal 
to the final Test of Valor in the back.

Test of Valor 9

This last test consists of dogs and Incendiary Shuriken ninjas. If you ever 
end up being unable to move because of the constant explosions and attacking 
dogs, use a Ninpo to kill most of the enemies surrounding you (assuming you've 
been leveling your Ninpos up.) Use the Flying Swallow a lot to avoid 
Incendiary Shurikens from hitting you, and you should be fine. Three chests 
appear: ghost fish in the left and right chests, and Lives of the Thousand 
Gods in the center chest. I advise holding onto the Lives of the Thousand Gods 
for later bosses or trouble areas.

Leave the cave and jump up the ledges next to the previous save statue. Follow 
the wooden walkway inside a building. A dead ninja holds Hachijuro's Notebook. 
Jump down into the hole. Kill the ninjas at the bottom and head through the 
hallway, killing two Incendiary Shuriken ninjas. Examine the dead ninja at the 
end of the hallway for a Devil Way Mushroom. Kill the ninjas in the next two 
rooms. There is a dead ninja in the second room holding on to Grains of 
Spiritual Life. Follow through the hallway and down the stairs. There is a 
dead ninja with arrows at the bottom. Kill the attacking ninjas here.

Jump down the hole on left and kill the ninjas at the bottom. Examine the dead 
ninja for Life of the Gods. Jump down the ledges to find a small cave area on 
the left. Pick up Crystal Skull #30 inside. Climb your way back to the top and 
grab the rope to reach a cliff on the other side. 

Use the save/heal statue and follow the path. Kill the ninjas that attack and 
later the fire archers. Keep killing the ninjas in the next area until you see 
a scene. You'll acquire Murasama's Omusubi after the scene, which will fully 
restore your health. Use the heal/save statue and head up the path. Kill the 
ninjas along the way until you reach a shop.

To the right is a dead end. There is a dead ninja there with Grains of 
Spiritual Life. Take the left path. Several dogs will attack in the next area. 
Follow the path when the dogs stop coming. There is a dead ninja in the center 
of the path with Koshimaru's Notebook (2). Follow the path, killing ninjas on 
the way. Several ninjas and Incendiary Shuriken ninjas will attack in the 
large area ahead. Going right from where you entered the area, there is a 
chest containing an Herb of Spiritual Life and a dead ninja with a Life of the 
Gods. There are two more dead ninjas in this area, each carrying a Devil Way 
Mushroom. One is in the center and the other is to the left of the path ahead. 
Proceed up the path until you see a cut scene.

Boss Fight: Genshin, Third Encounter

Genshin is the same as always. Keep up your attack while dodging his attacks. 
Really, I don't know why he still thinks he's a match for Ryu.



---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 12: Quickening Devastation (C12QD)

Deep within Mount Fuji lies a hellish, tainted world, where the demented 
Infernal Priest Dagra Dai invokes dark ceremonies and incantations to 
resurrect the Archfiend. Every heartbeat of the fetal overlord rumbles like an 
omen of death for the human race. Ryu enters the Underworld, where no human 
has ever set foot before. He does not yet realize that he is in the land of 
the dead, home to those who have shuffled off this mortal coil.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is a shop at the very beginning of the level. Head up the path and kill 
the bat humanoids and super bat humanoids on the way. Run past the lava area 
to avoid getting hit by fireballs. There is a dead ninja by the path ahead 
with a Devil Way Mushroom. Head up the path and use the save/heal statue on 
the way. Walk to the center of the next large area for a cut scene.

Boss Fight: Fiery Armadillo X2

Remember that Incendiary Shurikens to the face equals massive damage. 
Attacking their faces while they're shooting out fire balls will damage them 
even more, so try it if you get the chance. It can be hard to keep track of 
things during this fight with the constant fireballs and screen shaking. Try 
to focus on killing just one of them first, to make killing the second one 
easier. Pay attention to their health bars as these two will blow up when they 
die, just like the first one you fought. Move away from the dead one and hold 
the block button to avoid dying in the explosion. 

If you are low on healing items you can still return to the shop at the 
beginning of the level as there isn't another shop for awhile. Follow the path 
forward; it is to the right from where you entered. Soon you will see another 
cut scene. After the scene, look to the left to find a chest with an Herb of 
Spiritual Life inside. Kill the bat humanoids further up. Look to the left at 
the stream of lava. There is a chest with Grains of Spiritual Life inside. 
Jump to it to land on the small rocks surrounding it to avoid taking damage 
from the lava. There is also a dead ninja up the lava stream and to the right 
with a Devil Way Mushroom. Continue down the path, sliding down the rock ahead.

Wolves will attack in this lower area. Flying Swallow them to death. Cross the 
bridge and kill the super bat humanoids on the other side. There is a chest on 
the right side of this area containing Red Essence. Use the save/heal statue 
ahead and continue on. More super bat humanoids and some red dragons will 
attack you past the save statue. As you might have guessed, they spew flames 
and fire balls at you. As with most things it's easiest to kill them with the 
Flying Swallow. Follow the path then jump down to the lava area below.

Use the Flying Swallow to help you to the rocks on the right. There is a dead 
ninja here with a Devil Way Mushroom. Flame fish will attack you here - they 
are just like the ghost fish. Kill them then jump to the center rock area for 
a cut scene.

Boss Fight: Zedonius, Second Encounter

Zedonius isn't your main opponent here, it's the lava. You will quickly take 
damage if you fall in. He will hover in the air and shoot fireballs. Keep 
dodging them to get him to come down. Just attack him while he's on the rock, 
away from the edge so you don't get 'pushed' in the lava. You can use the 
Flying Swallow to help create an opening for combos.

Examine the purple object on the ground for the Heart of Malevolent Flame. 
Jump to the rock area on the left to find a dead ninja with Grains of 
Spiritual Life. Return to the rock area you fought Zedonius on. Do not proceed 
to the cave door yet. There are octopuses in front of it and if you die you 
must fight Zedonius again. Shoot arrows in that direction until they are gone. 
It will take a long time for them to stop respawning, so if you're impatient 
you can cross between respawns. There is a dead ninja with arrows on this rock 
area for when you need to restock.

Use the save/heal statue in the cave and move forward to find a chest on the 
left containing an Herb of Spiritual Life. Use the shop in the foggy area if 
needed and continue ahead. Several spider robots will attack further up. They 
shoot lightning and can damage you a lot very quickly. They also explode upon 
death, so keep your distance when they're dying. Continue through the woods, 
killing the remaining spider robots. Near the exit there is a chest in front 
of a tree on the left. An Herb of Spiritual Life can be found inside. Exit the 
woods from here. Enter the large area of sand ahead for a cut scene.

Boss Fight: Volf, Second Encounter

Volf is joined by centaur enemies. The best way I found to finish this fight 
was to use the Flying Swallow on anything that I could combined with the Fire 
Ninpo near Volf (and preferably with centaurs nearby.) You should be able to 
kill him like this easily and without taking a whole lot of damage.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 13: The Underworld Abyss (C3TUA)

It is said that those who walk the frozen abyss of the Underworld are doomed, 
forbidden to ever again see the light of the living. In pursuit of the 
Archfiend, Ryu encounters a beautiful prisoner -- or is it merely a phantasm 
created by the Fiends? Evil claws reach for Sonia; she has followed Ryu here. 
To return to the world of the living, Ryu must break through the barrier 
between illusion and reality.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Examine the purple object for the Heart of Bestial Storm and move forward. 
There is a shop on the left, before the stairs. Ascend the stairs for a scene. 
Kill the spider robots in the next two rooms and move forward for a cut scene.

Enter the door and kill the chainsaw aliens in the first room and super bat 
humanoids and gold dragons in the next. There is a dead ninja in this room 
with an Herb of Spiritual Life. Centaurs will attack in the next room. I 
recommend using the level 3 Fire Ninpo on them. Move down the path on the 
right and open the door. Kill the scorpion skeletons inside. The chest in 
front of door has Red Essence inside. Use the save/heal statue further in the 
cave. The chest on its left has Grains of Spiritual Life inside while the 
chest on the right has some ghost fish inside. Return to the previous room.

Fight off the mages and assassin ninja. Use the wind or fire Ninpo if you have 
trouble. Head down the left path now. The large sacks contain bipedal 
tarantulas. Attack them if you wish to fight it. The smaller sacks have 
assortments of ninjas inside. You have to attack most of the sacks to continue 
forward. There is a dead ninja up the left path with a Devil Way Mushroom. Go 
to the right path to move forward. There is another dead ninja at the next 
right with an Herb of Spiritual Life. Fall through the hole you come to.

Kill the ninjas and the bipedal tarantula in this area and move forward, 
falling down into the next hole. Kill the ninjas and two bipedal tarantulas in 
the sacks until you come to a path to the left and  a save point ahead. Use 
the save point and examine the dead ninja here for arrows, then take the left 
path. Use your arrows on the giant bats in this room. There is a chest to the 
left with Red Essence inside and another chest further up, along the wall, 
with an Herb of Spiritual Life inside. Further along the ring is a dead ninja 
with an Herb of Spiritual Life. Jump down the large hole in the center of the 
ring.

Boss Fight: Alexei, Second Time

I thought he was actually easier this time. Just perform Y combos on him. When 
he's taken a lot of damage he'll go into a berserk mode. He'll do a lot of 
spinning during this time. Just finish him off quickly.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 14: Poisoned Blood (C14PB)

To save Sonia, Ryu fought his way through a sea of blood filled with vengeful 
spirits, reanimated by the evil of the Underworld. Now he confronts the Queen 
of the Greater Fiends in a final battle to the death. Dagra Dai's evil 
incantations are complete; the resurrection of the Archfiend is at hand. The 
Dragon Ninja walks the blade separating life and death.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can kill Sonia at the beginning of this level with an arrow if you wish, 
however it will be game over if you do. Examine the purple item for the Heart 
of Azure Lightning. Head down the path, through the door. Examine the dead 
ninja for a Devil Way Mushroom. Kill the attacking robot spiders and continue 
down the path. The fire Ninpo works great here. Enter the next door to find a 
shop.

Kill the centaurs in the next area. Again, a level three fire Ninpo works 
wonders on them. There are also two dead ninjas along this path. One has 
arrows and the other a Devil Way Mushroom. Enter the door to find a save/heal 
statue. There are red fish in the blood pool. They won't appear until you swim 
a little bit into the water. Swim down as far as you can go, near a wall. They 
don't attack as often when you are low. Use your Gatling Spear gun on them and 
slash them if they get close. To the left of the door is a chest with Red 
Essence and to the right is a dead ninja with an Herb of Spiritual Life. Enter 
the door and proceed through the room for a cut scene.

Boss Fight: Genshin, Fourth Time

Again, he's pretty much the same as he's been the last 10 times, except with a 
lot of jumping and dashing this time. Try to counter his combos with Y 
attacks, if you can't dodge his attack. Your Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang 
will be upgraded to the Blade of the Archfiend after the fight.

Boss Fight: Elizebet, Second Time

You will be auto-equipped with the Blade of the Archfiend, so if you're going 
for a weapon achievement, be sure to change it before dealing any damage. 
Aside from a few new moves, she's the same. If you see her casting a spell, 
creating spider web like strings of blood, attack her to stop it. You can use 
your Fire Ninpo to deal an okay amount of damage on her. Rely on regular 
attacks to kill her. You can use the Flying Swallow, but it will miss a lot as 
she moves around quickly and uses a similar move often.

Pick up the purple object to get the Heart of Crimson Blood. Enter the portal 
ahead. There is a chest containing an Herb of Spiritual Life here, as well as 
a shop and save/heal statue. Use this opportunity to stock up on healing 
items. Move forward, through the door when you're finished. Kill the bat 
humanoids and super bat humanoids as you make your way through the tunnel. 
Enter the door at the end for a scene.

Boss Fight: The Infernal Priest, Dagra Dai

He will spawn bat humanoids right off the bat, but you can pretty much ignore 
them, as you have a much more damaging enemy to focus on. If he's shooting out 
purple lightning, keep moving around to avoid it. He can also teleport around. 
Attack him when he lands on the ground. Spam Y combos on him. The fire Ninpo 
will do a little damage to him at level three.

Swim across the water to the land to find a chest with Red Essence. Head up 
the vines until you see a cut scene.

Boss Fight: Archfiend

The dead ninja with arrows in the area should tell you what to do here. Charge 
and shoot an arrow at his head. If it hits, the orb in his stomach will glow. 
Shoot a charged arrow at the orb to do decent damage to him. He will spit out 
blood, which damages you a lot, after doing this. You can use the gravity 
Ninpo on the orb when it is glowing to avoid the damage from the blood. Just 
don't let him smack you or hit you with lasers. He will occasionally move 
upwards. Wall jump your way up to him when he does this, and continue shooting 
arrows.

Congratulations, you beat the game... err... wait..

Boss Fight: Archfiend, Second Form

This boss can be hard to figure out at first. When he is clinging to the 
ledge, he will pound on the ground and shoot a laser beam. He is the most 
dangerous in this position and I wouldn't recommend attacking him here, 
especially if you don't have many healing items. He will grab you quickly here 
if you're near him. You can't do anything to him while he's flying. Just focus 
on avoiding the fireballs and lightning. You must be in the air to avoid 
taking damage from the lightning. When he lands on the ground, attempting to 
charge you, he will usually walk into the wall for several seconds. Attack his 
ankles now; the only damage you can take at this time is from his tail and 
being under is feet as he's stepping, both cause minimal damage. When he 
starts to get low on health, perform the Flying Swallow or Y combos on his 
claws, while clinging. He will grab you after a few attacks, though, so 
whatever you decide to do, be quick about it.


------------------
Unlockables (ES4U)
------------------

Game Options:

Classic Film Filter - Beat the game once on any difficulty. You can turn this 
on or off from the Main Menu Options under Screen.

Music Test - Beat the game once on any difficulty. You can use this from the 
Main Menu Options under Audio.

New Game Plus - Beat the game on any difficulty setting. Load your finished 
game and you will have the option of starting New Game Plus. You keep 
everything except key items.

Difficulty Settings:

Path of the Mentor - Beat the game on Warrior difficulty.

Path of the Master Ninja - Beat the game on Mentor difficulty.

Costume Variations:

Dark Blood - Beat the game on Acolyte difficulty.


--------------------------
Frequently Asked Questions
--------------------------

Q. I didn't get the same item in a chest/Test of Valor. You made a mistake.
A. Different items will be in chests depending on a few things. If you are a 
maxed out on a certain item it is likely that you will just get Essence. 
Different difficulties give different items as well.

Q. What is the best weapon to use? 
A. The Dragon Sword is more than enough for normal enemies, especially ninjas. 
The Lunar Staff, however is great on larger enemies, such as the purple bat 
humanoids. 

Q. Should I use my Lives of the Thousand Gods items?
A. Save these (as well as your 9th Life of the Gods item) for tough boss 
fights. They will fully heal you and can be a life saver in the final chapter.

Q. You can buy Life of the Gods, etc. at the shop. You didn't put that in your 
guide.
A. You can only buy these items at the shop if you missed them during a 
previous level. None of these items will be at the shop if you follow this 
guide.

Q. I can't beat [insert boss name here] and your FAQ isn't helping.
A. I'm currently working on revising the boss strategies to be more Mentor and 
up friendly. For now you can: experiment with weapons, use the invincibility 
frame you get while casting Ninpo or using the spirit run (press X and A at 
the same time) to your advantage, and try attacking different places, the 
enemies head in particular. It may take you 20 continues, but eventually 
you'll get it, so keep trying.