Near the end of the series, Radiguet, who was responsible for making Rie into Maria, implanted a parasite in Maria when she wanted to increase her power. It turned her into a vampiric creature. Grey, who was in love with Maria, went to the Jetman for help. Ryu got close enough to hold her tight and told her he would always love her. The parasite left her body because Rie inside loved him and Ryuu destroyed the parasite. She chose to go back to Radiguet when he appeared and she stabbed him in the back with Ryuu's sword. Radiguet spun around and slew her. Maria refused Ryuu because she felt she was a killer and couldn't go back to how things were. Grey appeared and transported her to the ocean where she died in his arms. Ryu went a bit mad after those events, and he took on Radiguet on his own. Radiguet wasn't too sane at this point himself, and when Radiguet was about to destroy Ryu, when Raita, Ako and Kaori arrived. Kaori took a shot meant for Ryu, forcing him off the field of battle to both tend her and receive a lecture on his responsibility to humanity and Earth weighing more than personal revenge. Rie's ghost came to make the point as well. Ryu, strung out and vulnerable to both women, did indeed pull himself together, and with his teammates and their mentor, together they destroyed Radiguet by aiming at the weak spot Maria inflicted, ending the Vyram threat. Three years later, Gai was buying flowers for Ryu and Kaori's wedding, he stopped a mugger and was stabbed apparently to death. Believing he was going to die, this time he did not hide from his friends, but made it to their wedding too late for the ceremony. He met Ryuu and wished him well, gave Kaori his blessings from a distance, as he was too weak to get up and smoked a bit of cigarette before dying.