Chapter Six: Kenshiro or Liu Kang! Who Must Win?!

Snafu's Notes: After watching The Raid 2, I've decided to make the Seidan style a hybrid of both Eskrima and Silat. With the release of Mortal Kombat X, it lit a fire under my ass and now I got the drive to resume writing this fanfic again. The reason why it took so damn long was that there are two major fight scenes that happen in succession, and I had to go through not one, but five revisions to get it just right.

The Final Day of the Mortal Kombat Tournament.

Liu Kang and Kenshiro stood before Shang Tsung. The demon sorcerer sat perched on his throne, flanked by Kitana and Jade. Out of Raiden's (and the Elder Gods) chosen, only the Hokuto warrior and the Shaolin fighter remained.

Johnny had faced Cyrax and was defeated. Sonya had been defeated by Kitana and Jax lost to Jade. When Sektor confronted Cyrax about his intention to defect, both Lin Kuei fought, with Cyrax coming out as the victor. He then withdrew from the tournament and sought Raiden's protection from his now-former clan.

Following Kira's demise, Kano had retreated back into the shadows. Cyrax was now under the protection of Raiden, and had relocated to the Wu Tai Academy back on Earthrealm, having severed his ties with the Lin Kuei. Quan Chi had remained out of sight following his defeat at Kenshiro's hands, as was Scorpion.

Kenshiro, in response, had knocked the female Shokan known as Sheeva out of the tournament, along with Reptile, while Liu Kang had defeated Jade. Now, this was the final matches of the tournament. Raiden and the others watched in anticipation from the sidelines.

Liu had to admit that Kenshiro was good. The fact that he survived Quan Chi backed up that claim. Shang, in the meantime, was irate that his warriors had failed to stop Liu Kang and Kenshiro. That task was now left to both him and Goro.

"Kombatants! You have fought! You have bled!" Shang intoned. "Your exploits are worthy to recorded in the history of Mortal Kombat! Now, only two warriors of Earthrealm remain: the warrior of Hokuto Shinken, Kenshiro...and the fighting monk, Liu Kang!"

Hellfire erupted across from the two warriors, which was accompanied by a geyser of blood. Scorpion emerged from the geyser of hellfire, while Skarlet took form.

"Your opponents: Scorpion and Skarlet!" Shang decreed.

Kenshiro cocked an eyebrow, but remained silent. He cracked his knuckles as Scorpion stared him down, having not forgotten their past confrontation.

"Any suggestions?" Liu asked.

"Only one," Kenshiro replied. "Try not to die."

Liu frowned. "Not helping."

"FIGHT!" Shang bellowed.

"Split up!" Kenshiro said as he squared off against Scorpion.

Skarlet wasted no time in attacking. Brandishing three of her throwing kunai, the blood-born assassin of Shao Kahn flung them at Liu. Liu dodged the first one, jumped over the second, and kicked the third into the ceiling. But that was a ruse, as Skarlet teleported behind him, blades drawn, kicking at his back. Liu was sent to the floor, and rolled out of the way in order to avoid being impaled.

His leg lashed out, knocking Skarlet on her butt. She rolled backwards and lunged forward, blades-first, spinning. Liu was forced to dodge, but he was a fraction of a second short, as one of Skarlet's blades caught him on his upper arm, drawing blood.

Liu and the others watched as the blood ninja rubbed the blade along her chest, the blood disappearing into her body. Nightwolf, Johnny and Raiden actually felt Skarlet's battle aura increase rapidly.

"Liu! Try not to get cut!" Nightwolf warned. "The blood makes her stronger!"

'Kinda hard to do,' Liu thought as he dodged around Skarlet's blades. First things first. He had to disarm Skarlet, in order to have a chance.

The fight continued on.

With Kenshiro and Scorpion...

Meanwhile, Kenshiro was in the fight of his life against Scorpion. The Shirai Ryu revanant had proven to be quite the challenge. In life, Hanzou Hazashi was the best that the Shirai Ryu had to offer, skilled in the arts of Hapkido and Pi Gua, as well as kenjutsu. But what made him well-known – and feared – was his uncanny ability with the kunai, hence his codename.

Soulless, white eyes glared down on the Hokuto warrior. He had remembered their last confrontation, in which Quan Chi had stopped him from burning Kenshiro into ash, as he would later had done to Bi-Han. For Kenshiro, he knew that his pressure points would not work on an undead ninja, which meant he would have to fight his way through.

Kenshiro had fought the likes of Shin, the Golan Colonel, even Devil's Rebirth. But he had not fought the likes of

Scorpion. He had seen what Scorpion was capable of when he had fought both Nightwolf and Kung Lao. Now, he was experiencing it first-hand.

The successor and the specter traded blows. Then Kenshiro was propelled into the air by a backflip kick from Scorpion, the feet alight with flame that singed his jacket.

WHOOSH.

Kenshiro cried out in pain as he felt something stab into his shoulder. Scorpion had launched his signature attack, a kunai secured by a length of spiked chain. The Spear had caught Kenshiro in the shoulder, piercing through the metal shoulder guard and into his flesh.

"GET OVER HERE!" Scorpion boomed as he yanked Kenshiro back to the ground, and towards him. With a jerk, the Spear had dislodged itself from Kenshiro's shoulder, drawing blood, leaving him stunned long enough for Scorpion to slug him square on the jaw.

As Kenshiro was knocked backwards, Scorpion ripped off his mask, revealing the grinning skull. The same one that Johnny and the others saw earlier in the tournament.

"That's freaky," Jax muttered.

'No argument here,' Johnny said in his mind.

Scorpion opened his mouth and hellfire spewed forth from his gullet, hoping to incinerate Kenshiro as he had done to Bi-Han. But dying was not on Kenshiro's agenda today, as he backflipped out of the way, the hellfire leaving an angry scorch mark on the floor.

Scorpion did not bother with the mask, as he dropped it and resumed his attack. The human skeleton is by far, the most hardest of the bones to fracture, and Scorpion used that to his advantage by headbutting Kenshiro, stunning him long enough for him to draw his swords.

When Scorpion moved in to decapitate Kenshiro via his Teleport Punch, Kenshiro broke into a split, causing the Shirai Ryu to fly harmlessly over his head. When Scorpion turned around, Kenshiro disarmed him, which was followed by a spinning crescent kick to the skull, causing Scorpion to spin, stumbling backwards. Scorpion quickly backpedalled, avoiding the two spinning roundhouse kicks that Kenshiro threw.

When the Hokuto warrior tried a front snap kick, Scorpion caught it and began to punch Kenshiro repeatedly in the face, until Kenshiro leapt up and nailed Scorpion in the side of the skull in the form of a vicious ensuigiri. Both kombatants fell to the ground.

Kenshiro's eyes bore into the specter's eye sockets, burning with hellfire. If looks could kill, then Kenshiro would have been burned to ash. Both men got back to their feet.

Once again, they charged.

Back to Liu and Skarlet...

It was hard enough not to get slashed by the blood assassin, but Liu had several trump cards of his own. He was a monk of the White Lotus Society, an elite group of fighting monks. Second, he was trained by Bo' Rai Cho, one of Outworld's greatest (if not disgusting) fighting masters.

When Skarlet lunged at him, blades aimed for his jugular, Liu counterattacked. It was a desperation move, but still effective. A somersault kick to the jaw, similar as to what Johnny would do, showing Liu that improvising on the fly does catch your opponent off guard.

The force of the blow caused Skarlet to lose her grip on her blades. Liu quickly kicked them out of the way. The wound on his arm was still bleeding, but Liu quickly cauterized the wound by touching it with a hand encased in flame. Then his second hand was encased in flame, and he counterattacked.

Had Kenshiro been watching Liu, he would have noticed the uncanny resemblance in Liu's attacks, as they reminded him of Rei's Nanto Suichoken (South Dipper Swan Fist); graceful like the bird it was named after, but the destructive power was without equal. Unlike Rei, whose abilities rely on slicing techniques, Liu's fighting style consisted of his flame-encased hands, seeking to cause damage by burning.

It was as if watching Liu perform Tai Chi...with his hands on fire, as Skarlet was forced to retreat.

From his throne, Shang watched with concern. Like Kenshiro, Liu Kang was full of surprises.

Skarlet then made the decision which would ultimately lead to her defeat. She tried to punch Liu. Bad move, attacking someone with their hands in flames. Liu caught her fist, and held it there for several seconds as the flames burned Skarlet's hand. The redhead assassin's screams echoed throughout the Throne Room as her hand was rendered useless.

For some odd reason, Johnny thought of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, albeit the abridged version. 'Put your hand on a hot stove for a second, and it seems like a minute. Speak with a pretty girl for a minute and it seems like a second.'

Skarlet held her burned hand. The hand looked liked it had suffered third-degree burns, as the smell of burnt blood was around her as she tried to heal, but to no avail. Whatever Liu had done to her had all but cauterized her regenerative abilities. For the first time in her life, Skarlet felt fear. But fear of Shao Kahn overrode her fear of the Shaolin warrior standing before her, the flames from his hands now extinguished.

Skarlet felt the wind forcibly pushed out of her lungs as Liu did a low spinning back kick to her stomach. With only one good hand and without her blades, Skarlet was nearly defenseless as Liu began to pick her apart, his attacks breaking through her defenses.

A kick to the head stunned Skarlet long enough for Liu to grab her. The Shaolin Monk delivered two overhead punches; first with his left fist, followed by the right, before punching her back with a flame-encased fist. Skarlet was back on her feet, and was able to block several of his blows, but the cartwheel kick had broken through. She could feel her jaw cracking from the impact of Liu's fist as he sent her into the air via uppercut. If that didn't break it, then the high kick to the jaw certainly did, not to mention the force of the blow fractured her skull.

Skarlet fell back to the ground. She got back to her feet, woozy and weakening, and blocked Liu's kick, but it broke through her guard and stunned her, setting her up for a hard kick to the face. Liu then grabbed her by the hair and slugged the blood assassin, knocking her back several steps.

Liu could had blasted her with his Dragon Flare, but he had a stroke in inspiration when developing a new technique, one what would rival his signature Flying Dragon Kick.

Focusing his chi into his legs, Liu propelled himself forward, feet first.

WHAP-WHAP-WHAP-WHAP-WHAP-WHAP-WHAP-WHAP-WHAP-WHAP

Liu pummeled Skarlet's face with his feet, forcing her back with each blow, his legs emulating the motion of riding a

bicycle as he kicked Skarlet silly, the redheaded assassin helpless as she was struck repeatedly.

"A-CHA!"

POW!

Liu planted both feet into Skarlet, who did a complete somersault before landing facedown on the floor. She wasn't getting back up.

Back to Kenshiro and Scorpion...

Having lost his swords, Scorpion switched to his backup weapons: the kunai. Kenshiro was forced on the defensive, ducking and weaving. Every once in a while, Scorpion would throw the kunai, hoping to impale him yet again, only to miss.

Kenshiro let out a yell when Scorpion went low and used his legs in a takedown move, sending him to the floor. Kenshiro then rolled out of the way in order to avoid the double kunai to the heart. Kenshiro hopped back to his feet and made Scorpion block a double hop kick, which was followed by a roundhouse kick, of which Scorpion had ducked under.

Scorpion backflipped, right before launching another Spear upon landing. Kenshiro, having been caught once by the weapon already, was not going to fall for that again. He caught the kunai's handle with one hand, and the chain with the other. With a hard tug, Kenshiro yanked on the chain, launching Scorpion towards him.

"A-TAH!"

Kenshiro lands a hard elbow to the torso, driving Scorpion back.

"A-TA-TA-TA!"

Three rapid-fire strikes to the torso, followed by a punch to the breastplate.

"WA-TAH! WA-TAH!"

A snap kick, followed by a double punch to the torso.

"A-TAH!"

A punch to the skull, causing it to spin a full 360 degrees.

"A-TA-TA-TA!"

Several more punches to the chest, followed by another punch to the skull.

"WA-TAH!"

Kenshiro leapt into the air and planted both feet into Scorpion's chest, knocking him to the floor. The Shirai Ryu specter tried to get up, but fell back to the floor.

Scorpion was defeated. Hellfire erupted around him, and he burned into ash. Kenshiro had a feeling that he didn't see the last of the specter.

Skarlet, thought to have been knocked out by Liu, had now recovered and decided to strike from behind. She pulled out a hidden knife and tried to attack him...

...only to find herself sailing towards the wall. Without turning around, Kenshiro had backhanded her. Her body began to disort and bulge, as Kenshiro had struck her pressure points. Skarlet screamed one final time before she erupted into a geyser of blood, dead.

"Gesundheit," Johnny said.

Sonya elbowed him in the side.

"Impressive match, the both of you," Shang said, keeping his cool, but he knew that Kahn would be furious upon finding out that Skarlet was dead. "But only one of you can take the title of champion...which is why the both of you will fight each other."

Liu and Kenshiro looked at each other. This was something that Kenshiro was expecting, Shang hoping that he would kill Liu and not get his hands dirty. But then, Kenshiro did something that neither Raiden nor Shang himself had expected.

"Shang Tsung...I forefit," Kenshiro said calmly. "I withdraw myself from the tournament."

Liu was surprised, as was Raiden and especially Shang.

As Kenshiro passed Liu on his way back to the sidelines, he whispered to him in Chinese. "I could become the champion. But it's not my destiny to be champion. That path is yours to walk alone. And you better win, Shaolin."

Liu replied, also in Chinese. "I will win. And later, we will settle up."

"I look forward to it," Kenshiro replied, this time in English.

But before Kenshiro could make it, Shang stopped him. "You think that it would be that easy?" Shang demanded as he rose from his seat. "You think can just forfeit and walk away?"

"For a moment, I did," Kenshiro replied as Raiden healed both his and Liu's wounds.

"I don't think so," Shang said. Turning to face a darkened doorway, he said, "Goro, entertain Kenshiro. I will face Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat!"

From the aforementioned doorway, the current Mortal Kombat champion emerged from the shadows. Eight-foot-two, five-fifty, all muscle and bad attitude. And the Prince of Pain was looking forward to testing the Hokuto warrior in Mortal Kombat.

Kenshiro said nothing as he removed his jacket and shirt, throwing them to Nightwolf. He cracked his knuckles and shifted into his stance.

"Are you that eager to die, worm?" Goro taunted as he flexed all four arms. "Give me a worthy fight."

"It will be your last, monster," Kenshiro replied as Goro attacked.

For a giant of a monster, Goro was fast, as Kenshiro found out. Goro spun, his upper and lower right arms in a clothesline. Kenshiro hopped back, but Goro continued to spin, catching Kenshiro in the head and torso with his upper and lower left arms.

Goro then grabbed Kenshiro with his lower arms and picked him up. The Shokan champion struck Kenshiro twice in the face; first with his upper left hand, then with his right, before slamming him to the ground and flinging him across the Throne Room. He then leapt after Kenshiro, hoping to crush his chest under 550 pounds of force, but Kenshiro rolled out of the way, and Goro made a nice indentation in the floor.

The backhand knocked Kenshiro into the air, but Goro grabbed his ankle and once again, flung him across the Throne Room. Kenshiro landed hard on his back.

"Okay..." Kenshiro muttered as he got back to his feet. "Now I'm really mad."

Goro was rapidly closing the distance between them. He raised his hands in the air, and jumped. "DIE, WORM!" Goro bellowed.

Kenshiro took several steps back, allowing Goro not only to land in front of him, but also out of range from his arms. Kenshiro then counterattacked, striking in the chest with a leaping flying kick that caused Goro to stumble back several steps.

Kenshiro then performed a series of sweeping roundhouse kicks, four in total, each one catching Goro in the face, right before smashing his fist into Goro's chin. At the same time, a vortex of bluish energy erupted from underneath Goro, sending him into the air with such force that he slammed into the ceiling before falling back to the ground.

"Hokuto Ujo Moshoha," (Compassionate Flying Slash) Kenshiro intones.

Johnny frowned. 'Doesn't look compassionate to me,' he thought.

Goro, in the meantime, was back to a vertical base. That last attack Kenshiro had done really hurt. Wiping the blood from his jaw, Goro grinned. Not even the Great Kung Lao himself had hit that hard.

"Sub-Zero was right about you," Goro rumbled. "You are strong. A man worth killing."

"..." Kenshiro remained silent. He beckoned Goro in a 'come get some' gesture.

&^%

With Liu and Shang Tsung...

Shang Tsung was a former champion of Mortal Kombat. Not only that, but was also trained in the black arts by Shao Kahn himself. To start the match off, Shang had morphed into Kung Lao's namesake ancestor, and attacked. Furious over such an insult, Liu met Shang blow for blow, surprising Shang with his resolve.

But Shang Tsung was one who does not fight fair. To say that Shang never fought fair was like saying that the Netherrealm was hot.

Shang morphed back into his normal form and responded with a series of punches to Liu's chest, followed by a quick elbow to the face, which was then followed by a backhand. When Liu tried to punch the older man, Shang grabbed his wrist, and twisted his body so that his back was facing Liu. Liu grunted as Shang planted another elbow into Liu's stomach, then forced Liu down so that he could drive his knee into his face.

Liu was sent reeling back, but saw Shang's hands glow with an unnatural yellowish light, and knew what was coming. Shang then took aim and fired. Shang Tsung's signature projectile attack was his Flaming Skulls. Unlike normal projectile attacks, which used ki/chi energy, Shang prefers using the lifeforce of vanquished souls for his attacks.

Johnny and the others knew that the Flaming Skulls were deadly, as they had the power to destroy a helicopter.

Three Flaming Skulls shot forth from Shang's hands in rapid succession. Liu countered by flipping out of the way of the first Flaming Skull, as that one destroyed a pillar, while the second Skull, Liu destroyed himself with his Dragon Flare. He rolled on the ground, thus avoiding the third one, which had left a hole in the wall.

Shang felt the air knocked out of his torso from Liu's punch, followed by an elbow of his own to Shang's face. He sidestepped Shang's attempt to punch him again, and threw the older man to the ground. Shang performed a kip-up, white hair flying all over the place, and resumed his attack.

The fate of Earthrealm hanged in the balance.

With Kenshiro and Goro...

Goro wiped his lip, taking notice of the blood that stained his hand. His blood was pumping. Not even while fighting his siblings over who would succeed their father, the Shokan King Gorbak, had he felt this alive. Kenshiro had proven to be quite the challenge, even more so than the Great Kung Lao.

But all good things must come to an end.

With a roar, Goro lunged in a burst of speed, his lower hands grabbing Kenshiro and once again, lifted him into the air. His upper hands clamped down on Kenshiro's head, Goro's intentions made clear. He was's going to knock him silly, but rather squeeze his head until it popped like a zit.

Before he could, however, Kenshiro – in an act of desperation – slammed his palms into Goro's ears. Once, twice, three times, until Goro dropped him, holding his head.

Kenshiro didn't give Goro a chance to recover. Kenshiro counterattacked. He didn't even bother striking the Shokan's pressure points, but rather settled on beating the holy hell out of the Prince of Pain.

The hard kick to the knee made Goro stumble, then fall to his good knee. Kenshiro then unloaded with a barrage of punches on Goro's face and chest, followed by a volley of kicks just as fast. When Goro lunged at him yet again, Kenshiro hopped backwards, all the while producing a small sphere of blue energy in his right hand, right before using the very might of his fingers to crush it, releasing a blast of energy that knocked Goro off his feet.

The Shokan landed on his head, unconscious.

"Hokuto Goretsu Ha," (North Star Steel Shredding Grip) Kenshiro intoned.

Exhausted, Kenshiro took a moment to capture his breath. Then he turned and watched as Liu fought Shang in a fight to the finish.

Back to Liu and Shang...

Shang Tsung had underestimated Liu's resolve. Not even his ancestor had fought this hard. Then again, this was the tenth – and should Earthrealm loses, its final – Mortal Kombat tournament.

Shang had thrown his best attacks, even going as far as to morph into the Great Kung Lao himself, and Liu fought back. Like Skarlet when she had fought him moments earlier, Shang felt the sense of fear inching its way up his spine. Liu Kang wasn't like his great ancestor. Not like him at all.

Even worse, the fight was slowly, but surely, inching in Liu's favor.

Liu hopped back from Shang's leaping spinning back kick, which was followed by a roundhouse kick and a dragon's tail (a power foot sweep). Liu counterattacked when Shang stood back up. The right cross to Shang's face caused him to morph into Rain. The left hook following that morphed Shang into Kira. The backhand from Liu made Shang morph into one of Sektor's assassins who had failed to kill Liu and Johnny days earlier. The uppercut had not only sent Shang flying, but had also morphed him into the Great Kung Lao, the original champion who had bested Shang 500 years earlier.

Shang landed hard on his back, the impact causing him to morph back into his old form. Stunned, Shang stumbled to his feet.

"WA-TAAAHH!"

The Flying Dragon Kick was Liu's signature move, along with the Bicycle Kick. Taught to him by Bo' Rai Cho, the move consisted of Liu focusing his chi energy into his legs, and launching himself foot first. As Kung Lao and Johnny Cage can attest, the move hurt like bloody blazes when you're on the receiving end of it.

CRUNCH.

Liu's foot smashed into Shang's jaw, and sent the demonic sorcerer flying ass over teakettle. Shang slammed into a pillar, breaking apart the golden plating, before falling into a heap on the ground. Shang felt like he had taken Shao Kahn's Wrath Hammer to the face. He had clearly underestimated the descendant of Kung Lao. Then he felt Liu's hand yanking him to his feet. When he opened his eyes, he found himself face-to-face with Liu, his free hand pulled back. Apparently, Shang's trick into morphing into the legendary Kung Lao had pissed him off.

"Say it," Liu growled. "Say it or I'll send you back to Outworld in a box."

Shang knew that Liu would easily follow through with that threat. He was a dead man anyway, and the last thing he wanted was to die at his hands. Through clenched teeth, Shang admitted defeat. "I...I concede."

Liu dropped Shang, who fell to his hands and knees.

With those words, the Warriors of Light erupted in cheers. Raiden and the others swarmed around Liu, offering their congratulations, while Kenshiro remained behind. This was Liu's moment, not his, despite having beaten Goro.

Well done, old friend," Kung Lao said, patting Liu on the back.

"You have saved Earthrealm," Raiden complimented.

"That was amazing, Liu!" Sonya gushed.

"M.V.P., baby!" Johnny said, giving Liu a thumbs-up.

"Way to go, kid." Jax said, nodding in approval.

Liu turned to Kenshiro, and nodded in a show of respect. Kenshiro responded in kind.

While Shang conceded defeat, Goro was not one to give up that easily. Kenshiro had his back towards him as he congratulated Liu on his victory. With a roar, the defeated Shokan warrior lunged at Kenshiro from behind, hands ready to rip him from limb to limb.

Too bad Goro didn't see what had happened to Skarlet moments earlier.

"Behind you!" Sonya and Johnny shouted, turning just in time to see Goro bear down on Kenshiro.

What happened next would be forever ingrained inside the memories of the Warriors of Light and Shang Tsung.

Kenshiro's eyes glowed until the pupils and irises had disappeared, making the eyes solid white, similar to Raiden's own.

Instead of touching flesh, Goro seem to have moved through Kenshiro, the Hokuto warrior leaving numerous after-images, white with a greenish hue, similar in fashion to Johnny's Shadow Kick; the after-images themselves caught in a strobe light.

What Raiden and the others were witnessing was the ultimate technique in Hokuto Shinken: Muso Tensei (Unconscious Transmigration of Souls). The ultimate technique in Hokuto Shinken, it can only be unlocked by embracing the true nature of sorrow. Only three people in the 1800-year history of Hokuto Shinken had unlocked the power of Muso Tensei: Kenshiro's namesake uncle and 62nd successor, of Hokuto Shinken, Kenshiro Kasumi, Kenshiro's older brother, Raoh, and Kenshiro himself.

Raiden and the Earthrealm warriors were, for lack of a better term, dazzled.

"Whoa." Johnny.

"Amazing." Nightwolf.

"Impressive." Liu and Kung Lao.

Kenshiro emerged behind Goro, his body now solid, the after-images disappearing inside his body. As Goro looked to his left and to his right, Kenshiro whistled, getting his attention.

Goro spun around...

"A-TAH!"

CRACK!

...and his head snapped back from Kenshiro's kick, launching him into the air. But the Hokuto warrior was not finished. As gravity began to reclaim its control on Goro sending him back to the floor, Kenshiro was underneath him.

"A-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-WA-TAH-WA-TAH-A-TA-TA-TA..."

TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP

Kenshiro struck Goro repeatedly in the chest and torso with his index and middle fingers, the force of the blows causing the Shokan warrior to literally hover into the air.

"A-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-WA-TAH-WA-TAH-A-TA-TA-TA..."

TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP

"...WA-TAH-WA-TAH-WA-TAH-A-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA..."

POKE.

"WA-TAH!"

Kenshiro finished by jabbing his fingers deep into Goro's chest, right before kicking him away. Raiden and the Forces of Light were on the defensive, but a raised hand from Kenshiro stopped them.

Goro got back to his feet, flexed his muscles, and released a roar to the sky which shook the room. Growling, he saw Kenshiro, who merely stood there, and took a step forward...

...and his body twitched. It then twitched again. Then the upper torso and arms began to bulge out, threatening to burst, blood spilling out of his mouth as he screamed. For a moment, everyone present thought that Goro was going to burst. But as suddenly as it began, it stopped, and Goro wasn't the walking mountain of muscle. His chest and four arms looked...flabby, to say the least.

Goro collapsed to his knees. "That...that is the power...of Hokuto Shin...ken..."

Those were his last words before he fell face-down on the floor.

Johnny walked over to him and nudged the fallen Shokan with his foot. Goro was dead. Turning to Kenshiro, he asked, "What the hell did you do to him?"

"Tomon Ketsu Ha Shiso," Kenshiro replied.

"Tomon Ketsu Ha Shiso? 'Finger Strikes That Tears Holes In the Gate?' What does that do?"

"A technique created by my namesake uncle, Kenshiro Kasumi," Kenshiro explained. "It destroys the bones from the inside without leaving any external injuries."

"In layman's terms, you turned Goro's bones into shrapnel which shredded his muscles and organs," Sonya said.

Kenshiro nodded. "In a way, yes."

Jax winced. "Damn."

"Yeah, no kidding," Johnny seconded. "Remind me never to piss you off. You must have a technique for everything, do you?"

Kenshiro looked at the movie star and cracked a small grin. "Almost."

The crackle of energy and a burst of wind gained Kenshiro's attention, as did the other Warriors of Light. Shang had created a portal and had made his escape, the portal winking out of existence behind him.

Kung Lao sighed. "It's finally over."

Kenshiro, however, did not share his sentiments. 'No. You're wrong. This is just the beginning.'

In the coming days, he would be proven right.

Snafu's Notes: The story is not dead. Not by a longshot. I will be updating this fanfic, as I would like to see it finished.