Chapter Nineteen

The final day of round one of The Blood Tournament came. That morning at the indoor arena, Rose watched the remaining 'chosen ones,' Yun and Ibuki, fight in their matches. Thankfully, their separate matches took place just before lunch and the both of them were able to receive victory and the chance to move on to round two of eight of the tournament.

Aside from Lita, thought Rose as Yun, the last of the two, won his match. Everyone in the cave is moving on to round two... for not knowing much behind the tournament, things seem to be going well so far…

Main Palace

"Today is the final day of round one," said Queen Sindel.

"And we were all able to make it to the next round, which starts in two days" mentioned Jade as she sipped a cup of tea into her mouth.

The weather in Outworld seemed quite bright today rather than it's usual gloomy weather the realm would normally have. On a balcony that was connected to the Queen's room, she, Jade, and Princess Kitana decided to join together for some Edenian tea just after having lunch at the palace's dining quarters. From above, they were able to watch the participants of the tournament going towards, away, and around the palace grounds.

"You know," Sindel continued after a moment of silence. "We've had our bad times here in Outworld and for a while since we arrived here, I couldn't think of one good thing that came out of this place since we left. However, now that I think about it, when we return to Edenia, we may finally leave this place with at least one good memory."

"That may not be so bad," replied Jade. "Even if you have awful memories in one place, you may end up developing at least one good memory later on in life no matter how much your resent it."

They fell silent then, deciding to enjoy the rarely good environment that Outworld was currently displaying. During Sindel and Jade's conversation, Kitana had paid no attention to what they were talking about. Instead, she daydreamed.

Many years ago, Kitana remembered a time when she was an assassin for the Emperor Shao Kahn. For all those years, he had manipulated her into thinking he was her real father and that the clone Mileena was really her twin sister. The two of them, along with Jade, were Shao Kahn's three most loyal assassins, taking on their assignments like it was nothing.

However, Kitana would later find out that she was really the Princess of Edenia and that her real father, King Jerrod, was murdered at the hands of Shao Kahn and took her mother Sindel as his bride. Driven to insanity, and her essence the only means of protecting Earthrealm from the same fate as Edenia, Sindel committed suicide. However, she would later be resurrected on Earthrealm by Shao Kahn. Kitana also found out that Mileena was created so that when the Princess herself was rid of, the clone would take her place.

Later, the Princess would find out that her own mother was resurrected and was being controlled. Kitana would eventually free her mother and free her world of Edenia from Outworld's grasps with Jade's help. Since those days, Edenia had been in peace and Kitana rarely heard from Mileena since, though she would occasionally hear of Shao Kahn, all of them involving him trying to control Edenia once again.

When the invitation to the tournament came to her hands, Kitana knew that Shao Kahn was going to be involved somehow. She had not seen him as of yet, though she had already seen some of his minions including Shang Tsung. True or not, Kitana figured that Shao Kahn had to know her, Jade, and her mother's presence by now.

However, she was surprised that no one has made a move on them yet. So why is Shao Kahn waiting to attack?

Kitana then decided to push those thoughts out of her head. Then, the thought of the Keisei knight Siegfried came to her. It had been three days since they had introduced each other, though it seemed like a longer time since.

Unfortunately, Kitana had not seen Siegfried since that fateful meeting in the halls of the palace. The last time she saw him, his right hand was shaking and he had quickly excused himself and ran off. It worried the Princess a bit since she wasn't sure why that happened. She had hoped to be able to meet up with him again in hopes of finding out what was going on, but so far it has been to no avail.

Then, Jade's voice broke Kitana off from her daydream. "Wow, I didn't realize how much tea we had! The kettle is completely empty."

Kitana shook her head a little and looked down at her teacup, which was only half empty. Her mother must've seen the blank expression on her face and spoke then. "My daughter, is everything all right?"

Kitana looked up at Sindel, who had a concerned look on her face. She forced a smirk and nodded. "Yes mother, I'm all right. I must be tired."

"Well then you go rest," Sindel suggested. "Jade and I are going to go to the indoor arena to watch the final matches of this round. Be safe dear."

"Yes mother."

With that, Sindel and Jade left the balcony. Kitana watched over the balcony and down at the ground before, watching a bit of the activities of the participants. After a while, she decided to rest for a while. Kitana got up from the chair and went inside.

Near The Cave Area

Sitting under a tall tree, Nina Williams watched the small beach area about ten yards from her. The water was crystal clear and small fishes could be seen swimming under the water and small waves crawled up to the shore before pulling back again.

Since arriving in Outworld, Nina did all she could to distance herself from everyone staying in the cave with her since she had no interest in getting to know them. Normally, she was approached by Raiden and Rose for any reason, mainly about the tournament, but it was always very brief. A few days ago, she easily won the match she participated in and was going to move on to the next round. However, she admitted to herself that there were a few things bugging her.

What's the point of me being the chosen one? she thought. That Thunder God mentioned that we all had pure hearts and souls. What does that have anything to do with me?

Then again, she had lost her memories of the past, about two years ago after awakening from being in suspended animation for nineteen years as a result of failing a mission. Perhaps she had a pure heart and soul then?

She also remembered what Rose said to her on the ship. Nina, just because you are an assassin, doesn't mean you should not open up to those around you. Loneliness is not the good way of life.

That was another thing Nina couldn't understand. It was a type of life she had lived for as long as she could remember and she hadn't felt any emotions about it. Besides, who did Rose think she was telling her about her feelings and lifestyle? It was none of her business anyway.

Since arriving in Outworld, Nina never forgot her main objective and how she ended up here to begin with. She was assigned to assassinate the Spanish ninja Vega and to return the young woman Viper unharmed. Nina had followed the two on to the ships, but she had not seen either of them since.

Where could either of them be? she thought with a small sigh.

She looked down a little and noticed the dark green baby tee she was wearing. Because she came here unexpected, Rose had provided her with extra clothing. The blonde assassin was displeased about not being given any dark purple clothing, which has always been her preferred color. She was thankful, however, to able to choose black pants, which she was wearing now, from the collection.

More thoughts came to Nina, mainly about Vega and Viper and how she was going to try to find them. Unknown to her, someone noticed her and approached Nina from behind. However, the unknown person ended up stepping on a twig, quickly alerting Nina. She took out a small gun from her pocket and aimed it behind her.

The stranger laughed then. "I'm so glad I finally found you… sister!"

"Hmph," Nina said without turning around. She felt the left side of her lips curl up a bit in amusement. "You took your sweet time finding me. I haven't seen you since we were still on Earth."

Nina stood up then and turned around to face her younger sister, Anna. A sadistic smirk was on the brunette's face as the bottom end of her red qipao dressed swayed in the light wind revealing her red high-heeled shoes and brown stockings that contained black flower designs on them.

"I do admit," said Anna. "You were quite hard to find." She then took out a small pistol that was hidden on a belt under her dress. "Now we can finally settle our score. Honestly, I tried to make amends with you, trying to put our old past aside. However, it seems that you don't want to do just that… so I have no choice but to kill you!"

Nina said nothing as she and Anna glared at each other with the same ice cold blue eyes they possessed. Both of them waited for the other to pull trigger with each of them ready to duck out of the way. With that, they knew that a gun war between them was about to take place.

However, just before either of them pulled the trigger, a sound of thunder was heard. Both of them turned their heads, distracted from the noise. They saw a white light in shape of a human. Soon, the light was gone and Nina was able to recognize Raiden. However, Anna had no clue who he was.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded, now pointing the gun at Raiden.

Suddenly, both Nina and Anna's guns were taken from their hands by an unknown force and thrown far into the sea. Both of them became confused by what just happened.

"Enough!" Raiden demanded. "This is not the time for personal vendettas! Both of you must wait until the end of the tournament!"

Nina glared at the Thunder God, staying silent. However, Anna let out a fake yawn. "So the bitch is currently seeking guidance from some guy with weird electric powers? How boring!" She looked at Nina then. "When you're done kissing up to him, we'll settle our score." She then left and soon disappeared behind the trees.

Raiden looked over at Nina then. "Do not let personal matters get to you until the tournament is completed."

Nina became angry then. "It's none of your damn business about my personal matters! And besides, what's with me having a 'pure heart and soul?' Wouldn't she have the same thing since I'm sure we've led similar lives?"

Raiden let out a small sigh then. "No actually. Your sister's heart has been long tainted with bitter hatred and greed. However, for you, your only true hate is the one towards her and that is why you are here, since it does not matter what you have done in the past. Do not let your only hatred get in the way."

Nina decided enough was enough. She was sick of Raiden (and Rose) getting into her personal life and she was already pissed at him for taking her gun from her hand. Without another word, she left to return to her room in the cave.

Raiden sighed to himself again as he watched Nina leave. The girl has yet to realize her true potential. Maybe once she gets her memories back, she will…

Meanwhile, Anna walked through the forest area, feeling extremely bitter. Her hatred for Nina seemed to grow with every second that passed. For many years, she had watched her receive attention from those around her, always leaving Anna in the dark corner. Growing up, it was always about Nina. And besides, what up about that lightning man anyway?

The bitch doesn't realize how good she has it! she thought.

It was then that someone passed by a couple of trees. Although the person moved fast, Anna was able to make out the dark green shirt and the lock of blonde hair flowing behind the person.

A smirk came upon Anna's face as she took out another gun she hid under her dress. "Hmph," she muttered under her breath. "I guess she decided to ignore her 'mentor.'" And with that, she began to following the figure.

Courtyard

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out. Immediately, the two fighters fought each other. Today was the last day of round one, much to the sorcerer's relief. He had seen many talented warriors of all kinds. However, he had looked forward to getting rid of those who were never truly worthy of being in this tournament.

The true warriors will be facing each other in just two days, he thought.

Suddenly, in a section of the audience, people began screaming. Some ran off, some were thrown around the area. Shang Tsung found himself standing up, wondering what was going on.

"Who dares interrupt my tournament?!" Shang Tsung demanded.

The front of the audience was quickly cleared out and the assailant was now visible in Shang Tsung's view. The two fighters in the ring immediately stopped what they were doing to see what was going on.

The person had the look of a true demon, with his facial bone structure like a caveman. He wore a dark gray karate gi with a black belt and dark brown sandals. He also wore a traditional Japanese necklace that consisted of large black beads and his fiery red eyes matched his hair which was tied up in a high ponytail.

A red aura surrounded the demon as he approached the two fighters. Immediately, the two tried to gang up on him. The demon took out of them by the head and threw him far out of the ring and disappeared behind the audience. He then threw a blue projectile at the other fighter knocking him out cold.

A handful of guards came out then and threatened the demon with their weapons. The demon looked on as if they were only annoyances. He jumped up, put one leg out, and spun himself around, hitting and knocking all but one of the guards who managed to get out of the way.

Once the demon was back on his feet, the lone guard attempted to take him on himself. When the guard was close enough to the demon, a white light suddenly hit everyone's eyes and only punches and kicks could be heard for a moment. Then, the light disappeared and the guard was left on the ground surrounded by a pool of blood. The demon himself stood with his back towards Shang Tsung, with the Japanese kanji 'Ten' glowing red on his back. He then uttered his name…

"Akuma."

The audience was silent, not knowing what to think of it. However, Akuma's skills left a small smirk on Shang Tsung's face. The sorcerer then spoke out loud to himself…

"It seems that we have a late entry."

Forest Area

Anna continued to follow the figure she believed to be Nina through the forest area. While she followed, Anna became frustrated, wondering why Nina wasn't stopping. Had she suddenly become a coward? Does it have anything to do with her 'mentor?' Whatever it was, Anna hoped that her sister would stop in her tracks soon and stop making her go on a wild goose chase.

After another minute, Anna found herself out of the forest and was now in view of the main palace, where she was staying. 'All that for this?' Anna thought frustrated.

Suddenly, she felt something sharp and cold pressing at her neck. Anna kept still in her place. She had been in worse situations like this so she was able to show no fear. She did, however, manage to shift her eyes to see who was behind the weapon that threatened her life. Her eyes were met with another set of blue eyes. She could see that the person was a tall male with long blonde hair and a white porcelain mask over the rest of his face.

"Why do you follow my dear Viper?" the man demanded calmly.

Anna looked over then and noticed the true person she was following who she now knows as Viper. She had the long blonde hair and green shirt like Nina, but the woman's hair was down while Nina always had her hair up and she had green pants instead of black. Anna admitted to herself that she felt a bit foolish that she thought she was following her sister.

Being in a presence of a man then, Anna decided to use her charm. A warm smile came upon her face. "Forgive me," she purred. "I had thought she was my sister, who I want to kill so badly." She then pursed her ruby red lips a bit. "She and your little friend look so much a like. I mean your friend no harm."

The man let out an amused chuckle and he released Anna from under his three claws. He then slowly took off his mask revealing his flawless complexion. "Forgive me then my dear. My name is Vega and from this point on, I will let no one harm you." Then from his large, loose pocket, Vega took out a fully bloomed red rose and handed it to Anna. "This is for you, just for being beautiful."

Anna smiled more then as she took the rose in her hands. "It's been a long time since someone has given me a gift out of kindness. My name is Anna."

A smirk came on Vega's face. "Anna means gracious, characterized by charm and beauty… indeed a lovely name for a lovely woman."

Anna let out a chuckle feeling quite flattered by Vega's description of her. "And you are very handsome yourself. Why the mask? Why hide your beauty?"

"It's to keep my face in perfection," Vega replied. "With this mask, no harm will ever come upon it."

Their fun suddenly ended then when they heard someone clearing their throat. Vega and Anna turned their heads to the noise and noticed Sagat approaching them. Once he was close enough, he briefly looked over at Anna, then at Vega before speaking.

"This is the anonymous note that was sent to me morning," Sagat said. As he spoke, Viper brought herself closer to the small group silently.

"What does it say?" Vega asked as he placed the mask back over his face.

Sagat opened the letter and read it. "You are to head North into the forest where you will meet a person two miles in next to a broken statue. Be there, or else." Sagat looked up then. "The letter seems suspicious to me. It could be a trap."

"Relax," Vega said. "Trap or not, we'll be prepared to cut them up like ribbons."

"Fine," Sagat replied with a sigh. "But if is a trap, I'll have your head." He then began heading into the forest with Viper following him.

Vega looked over at Anna. "Why don't you come along with us my dear? I'm sure you'll have fun."

Anna smiled. "I'm sure I will."

With that, the two began following Sagat and Viper into the forest.

Unknown Area.

Quan Chi opened a door that lead to one of the torture chambers in the dungeon area. A long day indeed, he thought. Especially for the victims of this chamber.

He decided that he had enough being down in the chambers for the night since he spent nearly the entire day there. Before shutting the door behind him, he looked back at the spiked sarcophagus near the back of the small room. There was a little window on the top, which viewed the wide eyes of it's latest victim… a female participant of the tournament who questioned Shang Tsung's motives the night before. Quan Chi was unaware of what torture she endured before she was handed over to him. The only command he was given was to kill her in this room and that was what he did.

Then, one of Shao Kahn's minions, Baraka, came by. Normally, Baraka didn't stop for anything, only went about his business. However, since he was a tarkatan, he was able to smell the blood of the dead woman in the sarcophagus. He stopped for a moment and took in the scent that Quan Chi assumed was paradise to him.

"I love the smell of her blood," Baraka said to Quan Chi.

The sorcerer smirked. "It's a shame that she had to be killed, really. She was a very beautiful woman." Then, a sadistic thought came to his head. He looked over at the tarkatan who continued to smell the aroma of the dead woman's blood. "You've done a good job today Baraka. My reward to you is her body. I imagine that you will have quite a feast tonight."

Baraka nodded and bowed to the sorcerer as thanks. Quan Chi chose that moment to take his leave.

Later, Quan Chi returned to his quarters for the night. It was a large room, mostly green and black with a fireplace with a dark cherry wood border, which he took a moment to light up, along with various furniture and bookshelves with a large window on the wall opposite the entry. After spending countless years in the Netherrealm, sleep was non-existent to the sorcerer. He pondered on what to do now since his daily routine was completed until sunrise.

Then, he remembered the scroll that was hidden in his desk. He sat down at the desk, which stood a few feet in front of the fireplace, the back of the chair turned to it. He then opened the drawer, and took the scroll out. He didn't bother to open it. Instead, he stared at the rolled up scroll. Sure, he told Shao Kahn about the medallion and even offered it to him. However, Quan Chi kept the scroll to himself, revealing the existence of the artifact to no one.

Some would wonder why Quan Chi gave the medallion to Shao Kahn and didn't keep it for himself. This was because it was a way for Quan Chi to get rid of Shao Kahn and rule the realms himself. What no one knew about the medallion was that the it would slowly consume the current wielder and destroy them. Quan Chi had heard this from someone who knew the last person who wielded the medallion. So while the Emperor was slowly being destroyed, Quan Chi himself would look for the source that made the medallion. Even if the medallion is the most powerful artifact ever known, even that artifact had to have a source. Once the sorcerer found that source, he would have all means in controlling the medallion so that it didn't destroy him.

So that no one suspected him in the meantime, Quan Chi personally allied himself with Shang Tsung, who was the only person other than Shao Kahn allowed to be in control of the medallion. He knew that the shape shifter wasn't easily fooled, so Quan Chi had to be careful around him. He already tricked Shang Tsung by thinking that he was granting Shao Kahn over the realms by giving him the medallion. He showed his false alliance by making it seem like, to the Emperor, that he worshipped him. With Shang Tsung as his 'ally,' the shape-shifter wouldn't suspect Quan Chi's true intentions.

Since their declared alliance, they hadn't really talked much about it. Besides, it seemed too early for any good plans at the moment.

As Quan-Chi continued to ponder over his thoughts, he suddenly heard a loud burst from behind him. Quan Chi quickly turned around and noticed that the flames in the fireplace had grown rapidly. Quan Chi only found this unusual at first, but that thought quickly changed when he noticed that the embers of the flames were shaped into skulls.

Before the sorcerer could even react to the skull-shaped embers, the dark brown door was suddenly kicked down with such force that it broke off the hinges and flew a few yards back. Quan Chi jumped from his desk as the door crashed into it, then slipped on to the ground. The sorcerer looked at where the door once was and became shocked by the person who welcomed himself in.

"You!" Quan Chi cried out.

At the door was the sorcerer's nemesis… the ninja spectre Scorpion!

Shao Kahn's Palace, Unknown Area.

Thanks to a native of Outworld, Havik, Kabal, and Kira were able to find the palace Shao Kahn resided in. The walk was long, but once they were able to view the palace area where they stood, the long walk seemed worth it. Originally, they had waited for anyone involving the rumored developing army to approach them and offer their place in the army. However, the three grew impatient and decided to approach the Emperor themselves.

Silently, they approached the entrance. Standing by the doors were two Outworld soldiers guarding the entrance from intruders. They quietly went around the statues to avoid being seen and once they were close enough, Kabal and Kira went up to each guard and, almost in unison, wrapped their arms around their necks and snapped them with ease.

"Excellent," Havik said as he walked towards the door. He opened the heavy door and soon, the three of them made their way into the palace, which was only lit with candles mounted against the wall, however it didn't bring enough light. Kabal found a lit torch amongst the wall and decided to use it. He took it off from the base and continued his way through the long hall with the others.

They went up the stairway and went up to the top floor, which was actually the third level up in the palace. Immediately upon entrance, countless guards immediately surrounded the trio. Fortunately, Havik, Kabal, and Kira were prepared and they quickly drew their weapons out.

Even with the Black Dragon outnumbered, the three still managed to take down the guards with ease, taking each guard down with a few quick maneuvers. When the last guard was taken down, they looked around to see if any other guard was around. After a moment, they let their guard down.

"For a powerful Emperor, he sure hired the worst guards," said Kira.

"They were only meant as test subjects," a booming voice called out from not too far. Havik, Kabal, and Kira immediately looked around, wondering where the voice came from. Then, a large figure stepped out of the shadows.

"Shao Kahn?" Havik asked, feeling uncertain.

Shao Kahn nodded. "I have been watching you three since the tournament began. I had planned to recruit you to my army… but it would seem that there is no need to test you. You all possess the skills you need to be in my army."

Havik and Kabal immediately got on their knees and bowed to the Emperor. Kira was a bit reluctant at first, but then she decided to go along and joined her allies in bowing to Shao Kahn.

"What a coincidence," said Havik as he looked up at the Emperor. "That is exactly what Kabal, Kira, and I came for in the first place. We have always believed in your desires wish to assist you."

Shao Kahn stood there for a moment. He had already recognized Kabal from the days of his invasion of Earth years ago, having been attacked by one his Shokans at that time. He had thought that Kabal would join the side of good, but that no longer seemed the case. Besides, the Emperor was able to sense pure darkness in all of their hearts, another qualification for the developing army.

However, there was something about Havik that made him hesitate. "You are the cleric of Chaos… Havik is your name, isn't it?"

Havik nodded. "Yes, I am Havik."

Shao Kahn stared at the Chaosrealm native suspiciously. "Why would a cleric of Chaos believe in my cause?"

Havik slightly straightened himself up. "You have Chaos within you, something I most admire. Chaosrealm strives for the same causes you do. I feel that if you and I join together, we can accomplish our goals much more easily."

Shao Kahn stared at the three for a moment, wondering if he really should let them in. He then notice Kira and a thought came to him. He had a secret plan for himself, one that he just wasn't about to reveal just yet. Upon that thought, he made his decision;

"…There are a few more tests you must pass before I recruit you. If you would follow me, I will show you to the testing room. Once you all passed the tests, I will tell you of my plans."

All three nodded as they got to their feet and followed the Emperor further into the hall. Kabal stared at the Emperor as they continued on.

When the time comes, the Black Dragon leader thought. The medallion will be ours.

Forest Area

Although it was a two mile walk, it didn't seem long before Sagat, Vega, Viper, and Anna found the broken statue where they were supposed to meet an unknown person, most likely the one who had sent them the anonymous letter. The four of them were silent, prepared for anything that could happen.

Then, after five minutes, Sagat broke the silence. "I swear, if this is a trick-"

"This is no trick my friend." a voice called out from behind. The four of them turned around and were quite surprised to see Shang Tsung standing there before them. "You are here just in time, I had just finished the final match of this round."

"Hmph," mutter Vega. He then spoke louder. "I assume you were the one who wrote the letter?"

"It was actually the Emperor himself," the sorcerer mentioned. "However, he was not able to personally meet you since he has other matters to take care of so I came in his place." Shang Tsung stepped forward a few times towards the four. "Shao Kahn is quite pleased with your performances. You possess great skills and we wish to have you in our army."

Sagat stared at the sorcerer suspiciously. "I'm not the one to trust so easily-"

Even before the former Muay Thai Champion could finish his statement, Shang Tsung knew what he meant. "I guarantee you that you will have free will." He briefly looked at Viper, knowing that wasn't exactly the truth in her case. "No one will suspect that you were recruited. You will be tested further based on your combat skills. If you pass, you will have plenty of accesses within the tournament. If you prove worthy and become our Generals, you may even have access to Chishio No Me."

Immediately, Vega jumped in. "This sounds promising. When can we get started?"

Sagat cut in then. "This all sounds too easy. No one would just offer access to the medallion. Even if you didn't offer it to me, I have no interest in the artifact anyway."

Shang Tsung smirked then. Sagat was clearly the smartest fighter he had seen in a while. Already, the sorcerer was impressed. "Let me ask you this… if you won this tournament, what would you do with the medallion, considering that you have no interest in owning the artifact?"

Sagat was silent, not really sure how to answer the question. However, Shang Tsung answered for him. "Perhaps it could a means to regain your lost honor."

After a moment, Sagat sighed. Maybe I do have use for the medallion after all… "Where do we begin?" he asked without much enthusiasm.

"Later tonight," the sorcerer replied. He then looked at Anna, almost immediately intrigued by her beauty. "Why don't you come along for the ride my dear? This could be a way for you to settle your score with your sister."

Anna almost became shock at the mention of Nina. This guy already knew what she wanted and she only met him no more than five minutes ago. This indeed impressed her. He was definitely going to give her what she wanted.

The young woman smiled. "Surely Mr. Tsung. I'm sure the ride will be quite fun."

"Good," the sorcerer said. "Meet me here at ten o'clock tonight. Do not be late."

And with that, they separated, all looking forward to tonight's meeting.

Quan-Chi's Quarters

The sorcerer Quan Chi couldn't believe what he was seeing as he stared into the pale eyes of his greatest nemesis, Scorpion. During his stay in the Netherrealm, the ninja spectre had done nothing but torture him, which would've last for eternity had it not been for his escape. The worse of it was that the longer the sorcerer stayed in the Netherealm, the weaker he became.

It was true that Quan Chi was responsible for deceiving him, having killed his family and clan, the Shirai Ryu, and made the spectre think that the brother of the current Sub-Zero was responsible for the terrible deed. And even if it killed him again and again, Scorpion would not rest until he was completely satisfied with his revenge.

"YOU!" Quan Chi cried out. "How did you get here?"

Scorpion didn't answer him. Instead, he disappeared in a ball of flame, then reappeared behind and above the sorcerer. Quan Chi had fought Scorpion so many times that he practically memorized the spectre's tactics in combat. Immediately, Quan Chi was able to duck down before Scorpion could kick him in the back of the head and instead flew over him and landed back on the ground.

Quan Chi straightened himself up as Scorpion turned himself around, immediately launching a spear from his hand. Quan Chi intentionally ran towards the weapon and before it could hit him, the sorcerer ducked back, then skied across to Scorpion's feet. He attempted to lift a food to push the spectre up, but Scorpion saw it coming and he quickly stepped out of the way.

Once the two straightened themselves up, Scorpion shot out a fireball as Quan Chi shot out a green, skull-shaped projectile. The two projectiles immediately collided causing an explosion and setting some parts of the room on fire.

As though on instinct, the two enemies ran towards each other and immediately threw punches and kicks at each other, both playing offense and defense, in hopes of overpowering the other.

Then suddenly, a handful of guards ran into the room, having heard the commotion not too far from them. A couple of the men pulled Quan Chi back in order to protect him, but this made the sorcerer furious. He grabbed both of them by the neck and threw them across the room in order to get them out of his way. However, by the time he was finished with them, the other guards have completely surrounded Scorpion.

The ninja spectre looked at each of the guards. Even if he killed all of them, he knew that it would buy time for Quan Chi to escape. He immediately eyed the sorcerer.

"You win this time sorcerer," Scorpion called out. "But this is not over!" Then, with a flash of fire, Scorpion vanished.

Quan Chi used his powers to extinguish the blaze in the room. He then looked at his guards angrily. "I don't need any of you to protect me! Leave here at once before I kill you all!" None of the guards thought twice on Quan Chi's command as they all scrambled out of the room.

As everything finally calmed down, a thought suddenly came to Quan Chi. As he smirked to himself, he picked up the medallion's scroll, which survived the attack. "I was able to defend myself against the maggot with ease…" He smirk then turned into a sadistic grin.

"I am no longer bound in the Netherrealm," he said to himself. "My powers have regained themselves since my arrival in Outworld. With the medallion, I may become even more powerful than the spectre himself. If he thinks he's suffering now, then he has no idea what's going to come for him."

With his powers combined with strength from the medallion, he would finally be rid of Scorpion for good.