Ninja Gaiden II/Chapter 10: The Temple of Sacrifice

"A great waterfall parts before Elizébet 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."

Part 1: Blood Rain
Blood, everywhere. Heading up the path, use the Muramasa Statue if you need to and proceed. You will be attacked by a group of Blood Scorpions. Continue up the cliff. Kill off another group of Blood Scorpions and wall run over a small pit. On the other side, Bat Fiends and Blood Scorpions will attack you. Kill them off and examine the chest on the right for several Blue Essences. Continue along the path. Drop down into the ravine at the end to discover a chest containing a Life of the Gods and another containing a Devil Way Mushroom. Head back up to the top. At the top of the cliff, use the two walls to your left to do a double Wall Run to reach the platform beyond.

When you reach the platform, you will be attacked by several Blood Scorpions and Bat Fiends. Keep pressure on the Bat Fiends with Vigoorian Flails and stay out of the corner and this battle proceeds rather smoothly. Search the corpse here for Denji's Notebook. Continue up the path here, save/heal at the Dragon Statue and enter the large cavern here. Within, you will face a load of Shadow Ninja Ratsetsu's little brothers, the Spider Fiend. They are tough, do large damage, are fairly resistant to ninpo and can block your aerial attacks quite easily. I recommend taking out your Eclipse Scythe, charging an Ultimate Technique and waiting for each one to come to you. When they stagger back, pound them with combos and start another charge in time to catch the next one. There are about 8 of them. When they are all dead, continue up the path. Examine the corpse here for a Devil Way Mushroom and continue ahead. Further along will be another corpse with a Grains of Spiritual life. Continue into the tunnel ahead.

In the room ahead, when you touch the acid on the floor, you will start a battle. You will be attacked by Baby Worms and Spiked Insects. Use the Vigoorian Flail's air attacks and try to stay off the ground, as the acid will slowly damage you. When they are done, examine the corpse on the rock near the right wall to fill up your Incendiary Shurikens. Head forward and left to another platform. Examine the pillar here to reveal a shaft. Use your Flying Bird.

At the top, drop down into the pit ahead and take out the large group of Spiked Insects. Open the chest here for several Blue Essences. Use a shaft here to take you back to the top. Do an opposing wall run from the left wall and then off the right to reach the other side. Immediately turn around and perform a wall run off the left wall to reach the platform above and collect a Crystal Skull (#26). Continue along the path. Kill the Baby Worms here and continue along the right edge of the path, avoiding the acid. Drop the pillar here and continue along the acid path. Drop down the shaft at the end of the path and use the Dragon Statue below to save/heal.

Head down the hallway and you will be see a cutscene. After the cutscene, kill off the Flying Fiends that attack you using charged arrows from the safety of the hallway behind you, or using Incendiary Shurikens. When they are dead, head down the stairs. To the left of the stairs is a Crystal Skull (#27) and to the right is a chest containing several Red Ki Essences. Head through the opening in the wall ahead, toward a large circular platform. Kill the Blood Scorpions that attack and then examine the platform. Jump up onto the platform and do a jump + Y attack to stomp the platform. This will trigger a cutscene, and lower a cage made of bones to the opening beside the platform. Kill the Blood Scorpions that attack and search the body in the cage to get the last Jewel of the Demon Seal. Congratulations, all of your ninpo are now at full strength.

Continue along the path. Search the corpse that you pass to stock up on arrows. Drop down from the platform and take on the group of Chainsaw Fiends. There are about 10 and are rather allergic to the Vigoorian Flail. Continue along the path and kill the small number of Flying Fiends that attack you on the cliffs. Ahead there is a Muramasa Statue. Use it to stock up, if you wish, and cross the bridge here. Kill the Purple Fiends that advance here and then the group of Chainsaw Fiends at the end of the bridge. Use the Dragon Statue here to save/heal and then enter the portal to begin the Eighth Test of Valor.

Test of Valor Eight
This fight is over pretty quickly. Blood Scorpions and Ghost Fish. If you use the Vigoorian Flail's air column attack, the Ghost Fish will be all be dead before you hit the ground. Dash to avoid the Blood Scorpions' lightning attack and power through them with combos. You receive three prizes for completing this test. Grains of Spiritual Life, Ghost Fish (left chest) and a large ball of Yellow Essence. Head to the portal to exit.

Once outside, save using the Dragon Statue and head to the large switch ahead. Stomp it to drop the skeletal cage above. Kill the Blood Scorpions here and then search the body in the cage for a Grains of Spiritual Life. Continue through the broken pillar ahead. Follow the path and take out the group of Chainsaw Fiends below. Open the chest on the right side of the path for several Yellow Essences. Continue along the path. Search the corpse ahead to obtain some arrows, just in time to use them on a few more Flying Fiends. Continue ahead. Kill the Blood Scorpions that attack you in the pillared area and open the chest here to receive an Herb of Spiritual Life. Press forward a bit more up the path to see a cutscene. Head to the left of the door for another circular switch, but first examine the corpse behind it for an Herb of Spiritual Life. Hit the switch to start a miniboss fight.

Miniboss: Gold Dragon
This is basically the same enemy as the boss battle in the previous level, but singular. Use charged arrows and avoid his fireball and laser attacks. After he is defeated, open the chest to receive the Bone Relief. Use it on the green panel between the stairs to open the gate. Prepare for a fight. Seriously. Head up the stairs and prepare for at least 80 - 100 Ninjas to come pouring down the stairs. Whip out the Vigoorian Flails, the Kusari-gama or the Tonfas and start flailing wildly. For the real deal massacre, use your (at this point probably fully upgraded) wind blades ninpo and color the walls of the stairs red. Yummy! If possible, use open opportunities to do Ultimate Guidance attacks and you will be dealing with combo figures in the 200 - 300 range easily. Keep pressing up the stairs and eventually you will take them all down. At the top of the stairs, open the chest here for an Herb of Spiritual Life and enter the door.

Inside the door, examine the door ahead to open it. Drop down from the platform and use the Muramasa Statue and Dragon Statue to save/heal.Open the door and be prepared for an ambush by several Van Gelfs, two or three flying ones and a few Bats. Head down the ramp. When you reach the room at the bottom, open the left chest for a Grains of Spiritual Life, the right chest for some Red Ki Essences and look to the right of the stairs for the Prayer of the Necromantale. Head up the stairs. Open the door and head through for a cutscene.

Boss: Greater Fiend Elizébet
Elizébet is considerably easier a boss fight than Zedonius. She will attack you with a move very similar to your Flying Swallow. Close in on her and use Flying Swallow. Follow up with fast combos when she is stunned. Repeat until she falls. Watch the cutscene to end the chapter.