Chapter XX
Closure
Kitana would lie if she said she didn't hesitate when she found Shao Kahn. That some part of her didn't consider she should let him escape the pyramid so she could confront him another day with allies and an army. There was logic in that thinking. She defeated him before, but how much of that was luck? Or what if it had simply been the right time on the right day—never to be repeated?
She caught up to him not far from the recreated Flesh Pit. He roamed the corridors, apparently seeking a portal that would lead him elsewhere or just a way out. She remembered her father mentioned a portal to Edenia was open somewhere inside. That was how she knew she needed to stop Kahn there or die trying.
If he found it—or any portal—there was no telling what might come next. As far as she knew, he would enter a world that didn't know his evil and wouldn't be prepared for it. Even without an army, there was no telling the damage he could do. The only thing between him and the realms was her.
"Shao Kahn!"
He stopped and turned. Upon seeing his devilish eyes on her, Kitana almost felt like a child again. She pushed it aside with a deep breath and approached him. He said nothing and made no moves. His skull-mask hid any expression he might have had. Somehow, his simply standing still in total silence made him more intimidating.
"I cannot allow you to leave here," she said, snapping her fans open. "The realms will not suffer you again."
He stretched his arm out, and with a flash of green light, his War-Hammer appeared in his hand. The head hit the floor with a heavy thud, cracking the stone. "I've heard this speech before," he said. "Yet despite your efforts, Kitana, I still live."
"An error I won't repeat," she said. "I've beaten you once, I'll do it again."
"I underestimated you once. An error I won't repeat."
With a snarl, he swung the hammer at her head. She ducked under and jabbed at his midsection with her fans, but he evaded her and kept her at bay with another swing. In their last battle, he thought to overwhelm her with brute strength, and she prevailed with speed and precision. Already she could tell he wouldn't try that again.
He lunged at her with a Shadow Charge. She rolled out of the way, and he plowed into the wall, caving it in. She might have had an opening to counter, but her battle with Sindel slowed her more than she would've liked. She instead played it safe and kept her distance.
Kahn brushed the dust and shards of stone off his shoulders and chuckled. "Cautious as ever," he said. "I commend you for not letting your previous victory go to your head. Or do I owe that to your mother humbling you on the Sea of Blood?"
"You owe that Sindel a great many things, I think. If not for her, you'd still be blind and crippled in an Outworld dungeon awaiting execution."
He forced a smirk, but she saw through it. Although he sought to rattle her with taunts over her defeat, reminding him of his own and the helplessness that followed wounded him more.
He threw the hammer at her. She ducked and knew it was only to leave her open to his next charge. She caught him with her Fan Lift, which allowed her to connect with a Square Wave attack that sent him crashing down the corridor.
Wasting no time, she dove at him, intent on plunging her closed fans into his heart. He rolled out of the way and dodged her follow-up slash. He then held his hand out, seeming to summon his weapon to him. Expecting the War-Hammer to come hurtling at her, Kitana ducked.
But it was a feint. With her off guard, Kahn drove his fist into her gut so hard her feet actually lifted off the floor. The wind was torn from her, and she thought her ribs had shattered. He took her by her shoulder and drove his helmeted forehead into her face.
The world seemed to spin, and she felt like she was floating. But she held onto her fans, and when Kahn began laughing, she drove one just below his right armpit and the other into his left rib. Before she could inflict more damage by snapping them open, he struck with an open palm to her chest that sent her hurtling across the hall in a heap.
This time he did summon the War-Hammer to his grip. Despite her dizziness and lack of breath, Kitana forced herself up and connected with a Pretty Kick to his head. He attempted to backhand her, but she ducked and scored another slash at his thigh.
Frustrated, he tried to grab her neck. Quitting while she was ahead, Kitana back-flipped away and threw one of her fans at him, knowing he would block it, but trying to create some distance to catch her breath.
Shao Kahn stared at her, his face a foul grimace. He counted his wounds, seeming more insulted and irritated than weakened, and sighed. Kitana's heart pounded, and her breathing was quick. She resisted her fear but knew at the rate they were going, she would need to hit him at least five times for every one blow he landed just to keep it even.
"I wonder, Kitana," he said. "Perhaps I've underestimated you your whole life? You were once my finest and my favorite. I always knew there was a chance you might turn on me should you learn the truth of your father and Edenia. But even then, I don't think I foresaw your tenacity."
She couldn't care less what he had to say, but she did need time to regroup. "Is that all it was, Kahn?" she replied. "All the years you kept me as your own? Arrogance?"
"I've lived a long time," he said. "Time to have many reasons to do what I do. Is it so unbelievable that you could be my trophy, yet at the same time, my daughter that I dared take pride in? Is it so strange that I could've wanted you at my side, yet see you as a threat? I am a conqueror, Kitana, and conquering you—whether as your father or your mortal enemy—has been a surprising delight to me these thousands of years."
The more he spoke, the more her frown deepened to a scowl. She almost wished he just hated her and that was all. It would've been simple. But to hear him speak of her like a prize or plaything for his amusement offended her more than she imagined.
"But I've learned from my errors," he continued. "After our battle in the coliseum, I see you truly have come into your own as a genuine threat. So I will no longer regard you as my prodigal daughter. But you will still pleasure me, Kitana. For now I shall take my delight in crushing your hope and breaking your spirit."
He grinned.
"… as I had on the Sea of Blood when I took your armies from you and broke your precious Chosen One."
She charged at him with a roar. Whatever fear she felt or worry about her previous injuries drowned in a storm of rage. She slashed and jabbed with her fans, aiming for any opening she could find—ideally his throat.
Kahn blocked her with his War-Hammer and countered with wide swings and crushing blows that cracked and shattered the surrounding walls and floor. But Kitana evaded his attacks and maintained her aggression.
Unfortunately, while fighting up close negated the hammer, she was eventually left open to his Rising Knee. The attack caught her in the jaw and lifted her off the ground. While she was in mid-air, Kahn snatched her ankle and slammed her into the floor before swinging her into the opposite wall.
He leapt at her with his hammer in an overhead swing. If he connected, he might've broken her in half, but she found the strength to roll out of the way. Screaming, she jabbed her foot out and connected directly into his face. Off balance, he stumbled and was left open to Kitana's overhead swing.
The fan cracked against his skull-helmet. He barked in pain and elbowed her in the gut. She stumbled backward and sank to a knee, catching her breath. Her anger was still strong, and she wasn't close to submitting, but there was no denying the fight was taking its toll.
Kahn stomped away and tore his helmet off. When he looked at her, he was bleeding from a diagonal cut across his face. He ground his teeth, and his eyes burned, for as much as he claimed to enjoy tormenting her, his pride didn't appreciate her resistance.
He was about to resume their battle, when he stopped and saw something behind her. Though still angry, he managed a smug smile. Kitana gulped, already knowing who stood there. She looked over her shoulder and found, with sai drawn and yellow eyes staring down at her, the moment of truth had come.
"Mileena …"
"Ask yourself, Scorpion: what is it you hope to achieve here?"
Scorpion didn't answer. He glared at Quan Chi, already knowing any words that came from the sorcerer's mouth were poison. His enemy maintained a calm front, eyes like a chess player considering his next move, but Scorpion sensed fear. The monster he created had come to collect.
"Did we not just see your wife and son here now?" Quan Chi asked. "They appear to be at peace. Does that not quell your need for revenge?"
He still said nothing. What was there to say? The bastard sorcerer knew his crimes and was incapable of feeling shame for them. If anything, he always seemed to relish hearing of his victims' torment. Scorpion never was one for grand speeches anyway.
Quan Chi sneered. "But that's it, isn't it? What is the dreaded Scorpion without his search for vengeance? Who would you be if you didn't have the great enemy to hunt? You may be unwilling to admit it, but you need me."
Silence.
"I made you what you are, Scorpion. What would your world be without me? Even if you did manage to finally kill me, what then would—"
The spectre lunged at him with kunai in hand. The blade pierced through Quan Chi's armor and sank into his left shoulder. He roared in pain, and Scorpion followed with a swinging kick to the gut that sent him stumbling into wall. Eyes burning, Quan Chi tore the kunai out and threw it to the floor.
"So be it," he hissed. "I'll have to rid myself of you with my own hands after all."
The two enemies charged like rams. They plowed into one another and each began unloading blows to the face. For all Quan Chi's conniving and scheming, when he needed to, he was as capable of brute force as anyone. But Scorpion's fury gave him the advantage, and the first exchange left the sorcerer reeling.
He answered with trickery, manifesting a green skull in his hand that he crushed directly in front of Scorpion's face. The shards and flash of light it caused distracted enough for Quan Chi to catch him with a strong uppercut that sent him hurtling through the air into the opposite wall.
Scorpion shook off the attack and tore off his yellow ninja vest and gi jacket—both of which were soaked in blood. His bare chest revealed the numerous wounds Harumi had inflicted during their battle. The familiar rage swelled inside, but his mind was clear and focused on the task ahead.
He tackled Quan Chi into the wall—dodging a thrown Skull Fireball—and rained blow after blow onto his face. This had been a long time coming. No amount of damage from Harumi or Noob Saibot could slow him. Every strike was release. At long last, through altered timelines and changed reality, Quan Chi was his to end.
Quan Chi tried to defend himself, but his efforts were fruitless. After driving his knee into his head multiple times, Scorpion hurled the sorcerer over his shoulder and slammed him into the floor.
His foe dragged himself along. "Mercy …" he moaned, holding his hands up. "Leave me be … please …" He coughed up some blood and got to his knees. "You took your revenge, Scorpion! You killed me once already! What more do you want from this poor old man?"
He saw no purpose in explaining how that had been a different Hanzo Hasashi. The very idea Quan Chi would expect pity after all he'd done sickened him. He took the sorcerer by the neck and raised his fist.
"We're past vengeance now," he said. "This is bigger than me. Your evil cannot be allowed to continue."
"Arrogant as ever, ninja."
The voice came from behind. Scorpion turned and found Quan Chi standing there with a cold, analytical face. When he looked back, he saw he was only holding up a bare skeleton and realized too late he'd fallen for the sorcerer's trickery.
He attempted to teleport away, forgetting that it didn't work inside the pyramid. He felt Quan Chi's fingers press against his back and a surge of terrible power tore through him. The pain was unimaginable, as if razorblades ran through his insides. Blood sprayed from the wounds inflicted upon him by Harumi, and Scorpion roared in agony as he collapsed to the floor.
"I'm not done," Quan Chi hissed, gripping the back of his neck.
He drove his knee into Scorpion's head and tossed him to the other side of the chamber. Dazed and on his back, Scorpion was unable to dodge the Teleport Stomp that followed. Quan Chi's weight slammed into his gut as if he'd dropped from the ceiling. The sorcerer punctuated his assault with a few more stomps to his ribs.
"It's charming, really," he said. "That you've deluded yourself into believing your petty revenge is a noble cause."
Standing over the spectre, Quan Chi clasped his hands together and meant to hammer his fists down onto his face. Scorpion managed to avoid the attack, but he had little left. He barely got to his feet and stumbled away, only for Quan Chi to grip his shoulder and drive punches into his kidney.
In desperation, he tried to counter with an elbow. But his opponent blocked it with ease and manifested another mystical skull in his hand. Smiling, he smashed it over Scorpion's head, leaving him out on his feet. He finished his assault with a Skull Fireball that left the ninja flat on his back on the floor.
"As if you're the first or only fool I've used up and tossed aside?" he continued. "Did you truly believe you would be the one to bring me to 'justice?' I'm thrice your age, boy! You're no more a stinging scorpion to me than a nagging fly."
He stomped his foot down on his chest.
"You should've had the good sense to stay down when I was through with you. But you had to go and take it all personally and hound my every step. I was willing to forget you as I'd forgotten so many others. And now that you've managed to piss me off, I'm going to take special care to defile whatever pathetic excuse of a life you've made for yourself.
"Your renewed Shirari Ryu clan? They will die. Your wife, wherever she's gone? She will suffer. Your son? I'll find him, too. You thought I did you wrong before?" He grinned. "You have no idea how ugly I can be."
Scorpion tried to speak. To find some defiance. But though his will was strong, back-to-back battles with Moloch, Noob Saibot, Harumi and Quan Chi had pushed his physical strength to its limit.
"Take heart, Hanzo. If your inane pursuit for vengeance is all you have, I shall happily provide you with more reason to exist. In the meantime …"
He outstretched his arm, and a sword appeared in his hand with a flash of green light. He held it up, intent on cutting Scorpion's head from his shoulders.
Summoning the last of his strength, Scorpion launched a chained kunai up. It missed Quan Chi, as he expected, but the spear hit the ceiling and held. Taking advantage of the sorcerer's distraction, he sprang to his feet and wrapped the chain around Quan Chi's neck and held it taut.
"I already told you," he said. "The time for vengeance is over. I have a better reason to live now."
"You think you've bested me with this?" Quan Chi spat, clawing at the chain. "I'll be free of this in moments …"
"I know," he replied. "I just needed you still."
Quan Chi's eyes widened as he realized what was coming. Still holding the chain tight, Scorpion tore off his hood and mask, revealing the skull hidden beneath. The sorcerer managed a final bellow before he unleashed hellfire directly into his face.
Quan Chi's body twitch and convulsed as the flesh on his head burned away until there was nothing but a charred black skull. When the last of the sorcerer's howls faded away to nothing, Scorpion released the chain and let the remains crumble to the floor. He then burned the rest of his body until there was nothing left of Quan Chi but charred bone and ash.
Kitana locked eyes with Mileena and didn't even breathe. She saw the sai in her "sister's" hands but said nothing, knowing they were beyond words by this point. She dared not hope she would aid her, yet felt no fear of betrayal either. After centuries and different timelines, their story had reached its climax one way or another.
"Begin, Mileena," Kahn said. "This is your chance to at last prove you're her better. Rid me of her once and for all."
Mileena's eyes shifted from Kitana to their step-father and back to Kitana. For as long as either could remember, pleasing him was more than enough for her to eagerly do his bidding, no matter how often he proved unworthy of such devotion. And many times, Kitana hoped she would finally understand that.
She braced herself, feeling oddly calm. In the past month alone, she'd seen grand heights and catastrophic depths. She'd seen her parents betray her and redeem themselves. Could anything her "sister" did surprise her now, one way or the other?
"Do what you will, Mileena," Kitana said. "It was always your choice. I'm ready."
Mileena's eyes narrowed, and she crossed her sai in front of her chest. Glaring at her, she said, "I already told you that nothing's changed between us."
She raised the sai to throw. Kitana held her breath, feeling no fear, and awaited what would come next. Mileena snarled and hurled the two sai as hard as she could …
… into Shao Kahn's chest.
"But everything's changed between us, 'Father!'"
Kahn howled in rage as the two blades embedded themselves just above his left rib and below his right clavicle. The weapons then disappeared in a flash of purplish-pink light and reappeared in Mileena's hands, leaving bleeding wounds behind.
Kitana turned to face him. She spared a glance at her sister and nodded before taking a fighting stance. Mileena gave a nod of her own before taking one, too. Kitana almost didn't believe what was happening. She wondered if Mileena believed it. The exhilaration she felt shocked her—at last, she stood side by side with her sister against Shao Kahn.
Ahead, he held his War-Hammer and looked upon his daughters with disdain and resignation. "So be it," he said. "My children … let us begin."
He charged at them with a roar, and the sisters answered in kind. Kitana's methodical, defensive attacks allowed Mileena's speed and ferocity to find her marks. Mileena's aggression and constant movement gave Kitana openings to cut away at Kahn with her fans. They coordinated without thinking, moving in sync without consciously realizing, and complemented one another. For the first time, Kitana and Mileena fought as one.
It took everything Kahn had just to keep up. He swung with his War-Hammer, trying to crush either of them or at least hold them at bay. But whenever he managed to force Mileena away, Kitana struck with a kick or slice of her fan. If he evaded Kitana, it was only to walk into Mileena's sai or an uppercut.
A flurry of attacks knocked the hammer from his hands. Before he could recover it, he took a running knee from both sisters to his face at the same time that made the Outworld Emperor fall to the floor. As blood dripped from his broken nose, he looked up at the two in outrage.
"This cannot be!" he said. "I made the both of you! Who do you think you are?!"
"We've outgrown you," Kitana replied.
"'We,'" he repeated. "Is this your choice, Mileena? Are you proud of yourself? Accepting that you will forever exist in her shadow?"
"You were the one who put me in her shadow," she said.
"I wanted you to escape it," he said, getting to his feet. "To be your best. The daughter I wished you to be."
Mileena's eyes twitched. Kitana sensed the conflicting emotions in her but said nothing. Instead, she silently urged her sister to see past Kahn's lies, hoping if there was a link between them, she would accept her encouragement.
"You chose your daughter," Mileena said. "Remember? But she's dead now."
His face darkened. Veins throbbed in his neck and temple. His fury was so potent, so overbearing, it actually brought a chill to the corridor. In all the years she'd known him, Kitana didn't recall ever seeing him so angry.
Without warning, he let rip a horrific snarl like a wild animal and lunged at them. He grabbed Kitana by the neck with his right hand and Mileena by hers with his left. He attacked with such abandon and rage, they were both caught off guard and pressed against the wall.
Kitana slashed at him on reflex but only inflicted a minor wound on his chest. Mileena similarly stabbed at his arm, but he showed no sign of feeling it. His grip was like a metal vice. His hands may as well have been made from stone.
"You dare?!" he roared. "You dare defy me?! I tire of the both of you! I will not be undone by you ungrateful, spoiled whores! I AM ETERNAL!"
He was mad with rage. His eyes bulged, and his teeth gritted with drool dripping down his chin. His grip tightened, and he lifted them off the floor, intent on crushing both their necks right there with no regard for himself.
Mileena frantically dug her sai into his arm at the elbow. Despite the damage, he didn't loosen his grip, and Kitana saw she was weakening. Her own head throbbing and vision blurring, she started chopping at the same arm with her fan, hoping their combined effort would work.
Pain at last came to Kahn's face as the meat and muscle of his arm cut away. Kitana's strength left her, but she saw Mileena at last escape his grip. Screaming, her sister then rammed both of her sai into his abdomen and wrenched them as hard as she could.
He grimaced and threw Kitana across the corridor. He then snatched Mileena's head with his good arm and slammed her into the wall before likewise throwing her aside like a ragdoll.
A moment of calm followed, as all three fighters were driven to exhaustion. Kitana sat up, sore and feeling like the world was spinning. Breathing hurt and the taste of blood filled her mouth. Not far from her, Mileena seemed no better, struggling to get back to her feet.
Kahn, though still standing, stumbled and blood vomited from his mouth. He pulled one of the sai from his stomach. It came out slowly, and the pain was visible on his face. Sweat drenched his entire body, and his breathing sounded as haggard as hers. His bad arm hung limp at his side, shredded to the bone.
As he started pulling the second sai out, Kitana summoned what strength she had left and plowed into him with a Square Wave attack. He bounced off the nearest wall and staggered into the center of the corridor in a daze.
"Fall, damn you!" she screamed, her voice hoarse. "Fall!"
He looked at her with defiance. "… never … you will never defeat—"
Mileena struck him in the back of the head with her Teleport Kick. He staggered toward Kitana who, holding the fan with both hands, hit him with an uppercut swing that cut him open from navel to collarbone.
His blood sprayed onto the ceiling and more leaked from his mouth. He wavered on his feet and then stumbled against the nearest wall and sank to the floor. His eyes were wide in seeming confusion, as if he couldn't comprehend what was happening or how he'd come to this.
Kitana and Mileena stood over him and looked at each other. Neither spoke, but they shared the sense of disbelief. They'd done it. At long last, their step-father was dying. They would be free of him once and for all. And they'd done it together.
"… this isn't over," he choked out. "… you will … always be nothing, Mileena. And you … Kitana … you will never find peace. Neither of you will ever …"
She slashed his face with her fan, severing his jaw. His eyes widened, as he was reduced to making only sick gurgling noises.
"No," she said. "You don't get to speak anymore. You don't get the last word. It's over. You die now, Shao Kahn, and this time you stay dead. You're going to the Netherealm where you belong, and I want you to remember this moment. Every day you are tormented and tortured down there, for the rest of your miserable existence, I want you to remember who it was that put you there! You remember no matter what you did, no matter what you took away, that I am still standing! That she rejected you! WE BEAT YOU!"
His eyes were a mix of outrage and shock. He slumped down even more and reached out to Mileena—even then thinking she would come to his aid. She knelt down and looked in him the eye.
"I have nothing to prove to you anymore," she said before driving her sai into his heart.
She stepped away and watched him convulse and gurgle. His eyes bulging, he looked at his hand and it slowly turned gray. A crackling noise could be heard as his body turned to stone. He strained and choked, but could do nothing while his life drained away, leaving only a broken, rocky shell. Within moments, all that remained was a decrepit statue—face frozen in horror.
In the end, Shao Kahn's death came not with a great flash of light or thunderous explosion. The stone he'd become simply shattered like a porcelain plate. The dust drifted away with a sigh, leaving his daughters to take in his death with silence.
And relief.
Shang Tsung stared at Sareena. She retained her human form after death, as he promised, and appeared at peace. Her eyes were closed, and there was no sign of fear or pain on her face. In fact, her mouth almost seemed to be curved in a slight smile. At a glance, one could believe she was merely sleeping.
He tried to understand why her death troubled him. He pictured anyone else giving their life the way she had and not caring in the slightest. Perhaps even laughing at them. Had it been Liu Kang, he would surely have taunted the boy before taking his soul. Yet Sareena's sacrifice left him feeling hollow.
Scorpion appeared on the apex, escaping the pyramid finally. He looked ready for battle, though given the state he was in, Tsung wasn't sure how much help the spectre would be. His ninja garb was in shambles and body riddled with cuts all over his body. Though willing, he looked ready to collapse.
"Shang Tsung?" he asked upon seeing him. "What are you doing …?" He trailed off upon seeing Sareena. "What have you done?"
"I've done nothing."
"What happened to Sareena?" he demanded, anger brewing in his voice. "Answer me!"
"She saved you," he replied. "She saved all of us. Onaga activated the Kamidogu. I don't know what exactly he did, but he spoke of unleashing nightmares and everyone's worst fears. Not just here but all the realms.
"I had come to face him," he continued. "But his strength was too great. And then Sareena … she used the Kamidogu herself to give us a chance."
He looked at Scorpion and saw dawning realization in his eyes. He couldn't guess what the ninja faced inside the pyramid, but from his expression, it seemed to line up with his story.
"The strain was too much for her, as I warned. She's gone."
Scorpion knelt beside her. The anger in his eyes faded and was replaced with mourning and regret. Ever the romantic, Tsung thought. But as tempted as he was to sneer and dismiss the ninja's solemn display, he couldn't deny Sareena's demise bothered him more than he believed capable.
"Onaga," Scorpion said. "Where is he now?"
Before he could answer, Kitana and Mileena emerged from the pyramid as well. Like Scorpion, they both appeared to have seen their share of hardship. The Princess looked around, noting Havik and Ermac's bodies, and asked the obvious questions: "What happened out here? Where's Onaga?"
"Sareena stalled him," he replied. "He's injured but not gone. Depending on how damaged his wings are, I expect he'll return any moment."
As if in reply, Onaga's roar echoed in the distance. He was indeed out there and making his way back, and by the sound of it, quite displeased to put it mildly. Looking over his apparent allies, it was clear to Tsung none of them were in ideal shape to fight the Dragon King, even if he was wounded by Sareena's efforts.
He turned toward the altar and considered their options. Regardless of how weakened the Dragon King may be, Shinnok's Amulet was the key. As long as they got it away, they would at least disable his ability to use the Kamidogu. Onaga would no doubt devote his energy to reclaiming it, but was that Tsung's concern? The Amulet was the goal. The rest would be Raiden and his champions' problem.
We were born empty. So we crave. We hunger. And we try so hard to find something to fill it.
It was Sareena's voice that came to him then. His part in this was done, but Shang Tsung's mind wandered. What then? Would he simply go back to accumulating power as always? Continue waging an endless war against Raiden and his fighters? Claw and climb his way up all over again in the hope of ruling all as he had with Kronika's Hourglass? Maybe even learn to master the Kamidogu?
For some reason, just imagining that tired him.
He looked at Scorpion—eternally seeking vengeance that always seemed just out of reach. Kitana … how many times had she come so close to getting what she dreamed just to watch it ripped away? Mileena … forever clinging to her belief if she could surpass her sister, all would be right.
He would normally mock them for struggling so desperately for lost causes, but how many times had he come so close to achieving what he wanted only to be torn down? How many more times must he try?
He'd lived for over a thousand years, and in that time what had he really accomplished? Centuries under the heel of Shao Kahn. An alliance with Quan Chi that ended in defeat. Even when victory finally was within reach and Kronika's Hourglass was in his grasp, he found failure once again at Liu Kang's hand … surviving only by a fluke turn of fate.
… you can dress yourself in your fancy clothes, and construct massive palaces, and live on your private island with all its riches, and you can gobble up soul after soul for all time, but none of it will fill that cold empty place where our own souls are supposed to be.
Sareena was just a lowly demon, and yet—as much as he hated to admit it—she saw the truth of him. Perhaps the only being who ever had. Once, long ago, he sought to be Earthrealm's Champion in Mortal Kombat though his reasons were selfish and methods brutal. The gods dismissed and cursed him, and for centuries he carried the bitterness of that rejection, devoting his life to not only proving them wrong, but paying them back for it. He would prove his worth.
But when the time came, Sareena proved a worthier champion than any of the fools Raiden marched to death over the centuries. Perhaps there was still time for him to as well?
"Scorpion," he said. "The portal is still open. Take Sareena and go."
The others hesitated and stared at him. He paid them no mind and reached out to the Amulet. Green energy formed from his hand and wrapped around it. After some resistance, the Amulet came free from the altar and the six Kamidogu pieces dimmed as their pulsing hum went silent.
Amulet in hand, he then passed it to Kitana. "Take this with you," he said. "Hide it, destroy it … I don't care. Just get it away from here."
She looked at it and then at him, eyes wide and confused. "Is this a trick?"
"No," he said. "Though I'm flattered you believe I'm capable enough to forge a false Amulet, strike a bargain with Onaga, and whatever else you think I'm doing on such short notice. But no deception here, Princess. That is the Amulet, and you'd best be on your way."
"What about you?" Mileena asked.
He looked into the distance, and he sensed the Dragon King. He was close, and his fury was great. Even if they got the Amulet out of there, he would never rest until he got it back. And if he did, he would certainly use the Kamidogu to extract an unimaginable revenge upon the realms.
"Leave Onaga to me."
Although he had his back to them, he knew they were all staring at him in disbelief. Kitana no doubt was convinced this was a lie. He honestly couldn't blame them. Even he would admit this was something he never saw himself doing.
"This doesn't sound like you, Shang Tsung."
"I agree," he replied. "You'd best be on your way before I think better of it."
"You don't really expect us to believe this, do you?" Kitana demanded. "You, of all people, will stand alone to face the Dragon King? And we're supposed to just walk away and leave you be?"
"Feel free to stay if you wish, Princess," he said. "I think it's time I've faced my destiny. You're welcome to watch."
Not far, the roar of the Dragon King echoed again. It was a bloodcurdling sound full of rage and hate, and it was followed by rumbling as the pyramid shook. He had reached the platform again and was making his way back up with thunderous footsteps.
"Go."
Tsung pressed his palms together and focused. Behind him, Kitana reluctantly left the apex. Mileena hesitated a moment, as if she wanted to say something, but joined her sister. Scorpion cradled Sareena in his arms and took a few steps before stopping. He looked back at the sorcerer but said nothing.
"A final request, Scorpion," Tsung said. "When you get back, tell … tell everyone. Tell them what happened here. But most especially, tell Raiden and Liu Kang. Tell them …" He thought about it before looking over his shoulder and smirking. "You're welcome."
The spectre left him, and the Dragon King's footsteps grew louder. Green energy formed around him as he harnessed the souls within. He called upon every single one and felt their power inside. The hundreds from Ermac, Reptile, thousands more … legions of souls taken over his long life across multiple timelines.
He glowed in green fire as the souls howled—some stirred after centuries of dormancy. Some even he forgot he had. They swirled around him, itching to burst forth. Keeping his palms pressed together and eyes closed, he concentrated on containing them. He just needed to wait a few more moments.
Onaga emerged at the other end of the apex. He wings were torn and ragged, which probably explained why it took so long for him to fly back. His missing arm wasn't bleeding—the wound appeared cauterized, as if it had been burned off instead of torn.
Indeed, half the Dragon King's body was scarred and steaming. Portions of his thick hide were burned away, revealing soft flesh underneath. His breathing was heavy, and his eye—only one, for the other was seared shut—bulged with fury.
He limped forward and noticed the Amulet missing. "MAKES NO DIFFERENCE," he growled. "YOU'VE MERELY DELAYED ME. WHEN I AM FINISHED WITH YOU, I WILL RECLAIM THE AMULET. AND THEN … THEN THE REALMS WILL KNOW MY WRATH."
He didn't seem to pay any mind to the fiery green energy swirling around Tsung. Even in his wounded state, he was confident in his might and assumed there was nothing the sorcerer could do to stop him. He may have been right, if Tsung had planned to fight him with conventional means. But he had a different idea.
"AND THE DEMON WHORE," Onaga continued. "I'LL PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO HER NOW. I'LL SEE TO IT SHE IS VIOLATED IN ALL THE WAYS SHE FEARS. WHEN SHE DIES, I WILL REVIVE HER SO THAT SHE MAY SUFFER AND DIE AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN."
Tsung smirked, seeing that for all the Dragon King's talk, he really was no different from Shao Kahn or Quan Chi. Or even himself. Somehow, that made him feel better about what he planned to do. Maybe it was past time he distanced himself from those he'd long associated with? Would Kahn or Quan Chi ever do what he was about to?
Never. He felt pride and amusement in knowing that. In the end, for his final act, Shang Tsung … of all people … would do the noble thing just once.
"NOW TO FINISH … WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
And who knows? he thought. Maybe I'll survive anyway?
Sheer terror came to Onaga's face as he realized what was coming. Tsung let rip a great bellow and unleashed every single soul he'd stolen all at once. The pyramid apex was consumed in blinding green light as the thousands of souls tore out of him like a maelstrom.
Onaga screamed as the souls tore into him. Not even his dragon's hide could resist as his body was ripped and shredded. He tried to shout in denial—a refusal that this should be his demise—but his voice was choked by blood spewing from his mouth. His wings tore away, his torso ripped from his legs, and his chest burst open.
Tsung continued screaming as his souls poured out. They engulfed the apex and even tore into the Kamidogu pieces. Pulsing power surged, and suddenly the entire pyramid was engulfed in a great explosion of light, almost like a supernova. Whatever was left of the Dragon King's body disintegrated to ash.
When the light faded, there was nothing left in the empty void of the Nexus but dust and the dwindling howls of long dead souls finally free.
End of Chapter XX