AN: Told myself that I was gonna update this story soon, since I wouldn't be doing much in India. Then:

- Had to leave behind my main writing computer (Chromebook), because my parents were worried about me putting too much stuff in my bag. I had to settle for an IPad that crashed every time I made a new page.

- I discovered that my grandparents scrapped their router because they weren't using it that much and wanted to save money.

So yeah, progress became super slow.

Again.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 13: Vigilante's Rampage, Part I

Wastelands of Outworld, Earlier

Jade sighed as she walked away from Kitana and Mileena. As horrible as it was to admit, she realized she had been...replaced. To further rub salt in the wound, she had not only been replaced by someone who had only known Kitana for a few centuries compared to her, she had been replaced by a Tarkatan creation of Shao Khan!

How had things gotten this twisted?! How did Kitana not realize the danger of the creation she was constantly cavorting around with?! Even if Mileena could see Kitana as her own sibling her Tarkatan nature would eventually bleed through, and she would inevitably hurt Kitana!

Fortunately, there was a way to fix all this.

In the distance, Skarlet appeared in a mist of blood.

"Did they buy it?" She asked.

Jade nodded. "It is time to spring the trap. Remember your promise. Kitana is not to be harmed."

Skarlet laughed softly. "I'm a woman of my word, Jade! Unlike the Tarkatans, I keep my promises."

And with that parting statement, Skarlet teleported Jade and herself to the Flesh Pits.

Now

Jade could feel the breath knocked out of her lungs, as she was slammed into the wall behind her.

"YOU BITCH!" Izuku Midoriya roared. His arms tightened around her neck, and Jade could not help but feel that the Earthrealm vigilante was justified in his action.

I was wrong. So very wrong. How could I have been so blind?

"Izuku, enough! Let her go!" Kitana commanded.

Izuku snarled. "I have one way of dealing with traitors, Princess." he growled. He took out his pistol and pressed it to Jade's kidney.

Liu Kang clasped Izuku's shoulder. "Izuku, please. Mileena risked her life to save Jade. Are you really going to throw away her sacrifice?"

Izuku grit his teeth. His grip around Jade's neck seemed to get stronger for a moment, before he threw her to the ground. As Jade desperately tried to draw breath, Izuku pressed the barrel of his pistol at her head, clicking the hammer.

"If Mileena is hurt, in any fucking way, there won't be a hell far enough to hide you from me. Got it?"

Jade nodded. Izuku growled in disgust, before walking away. Johnny Cage, intimidated by Izuku's behavior, nevertheless ran up to him.

"Izuku, where you goin?" he asked.

"To get Mileena!" Izuku shouted back. Johnny, stunned by Izuku's blunt answer, was unable to respond to it until Izuku had walked away from the group.

Johnny turned to the others. "There's no way we can let him go on his own! We have to help!"

Kung Lao nodded. "I will go. You and Liu Kang are far greater fighters than I. You will need to fight in the tournament."

Kenshi chose that moment to rise from his mediation. "I will go as well. I feel that my confrontation with Shang Tsung will happen much sooner if I follow Midoriya-san. Besides, I could never leave one of my countrymen to face such odds."

Liu Kang looked at Kung Lao, confused. "Are you sure about this, Kung Lao? For as long as I can remember, you've always believed that winning this tournament was your destiny, to atone for the failure of the Great Kung Lao! This might be your chance, for all you know!"

Kung Lao shook his head. "I believed that in the last tournament, and I got my ass kicked in my first fight. Granted, it was against the God of Thunder, but that's beside the point. I see now that winning the Mortal Kombat tournament is your destiny, not mine. Besides, I remember a certain bigheaded monk telling me that a Shaolin never leaves one of their allies behind."

Liu Kang chuckled. "Bigheaded? A bit ironic, coming from the man that thought it would be a good idea to fight against a god."

Kung Lao laughed. "Okay, you got me there." Kenshi chose that moment to interrupt the two brothers.

"I am ready. Time to move." he said. Kung Lao nodded, and the two Kombatants began to walk out of the cave.

Heading out to the Wastelands of Outworld, they saw Izuku angrily storming across the beach.

"Don't try to stop me!" he exclaimed, not even turning around to face the two men behind him.

"We aren't. We're coming to help you." Kung Lao replied.

Izuku smiled. "Huh. I was half-expecting you to try and calm me down or something."

"I am not Liu Kang." Kung Lao replied.

"Hah! Got that right. Alright, gents. Let's go save our friend."

"Friend. Riiiight" Kung Lao couldn't help but think. Contrary to what Izuku thought, the rest of them weren't blind to how close the two were.

As the three Kombatants began to walk across the Living Forest, a group of Tarkatans emerged from the trees.

"Looks like we've got a welcoming party." Kung Lao remarked.

Izuku growled, his patience completely exhausted. "Get out of my way."

The Tarkatans laughed.

"Look at the human! All because we took his whor-"

BANG

The Tarkatan fell down to the ground, a puddle of blood oozing from the bullet hole in his head.

"Fuck it. Time for talking's long past." Izuku remarked, holstering his pistol and bringing out his new assault rifle, as Kenshi and Kung Lao came to stand in front of him

The Tarkatans activated their arm blades, while Kung Lao spun his hat and Kenshi drew his katana.

The Tarkatans charged, roaring in their thirst for blood, as Izuku began to fire his rifle at them. Kung Lao stepped in, taking off his hat and throwing it at the nearest Tarkatan. The hat gleamed in the night, before cleaving their head in half.

Holy shit! I guess Liu Kang's pacifist ways are a bit more exclusive than I thought.

Kenshi, not willing to stand on the sidelines, dove into the fray, hacking and slashing at the Tarkatans with calm and controlled motions. A Tarkatan came behind the blind swordsman, intent on gutting Kenshi. Izuku, too busy defending Kung Lao, didn't notice him. As the Tarkatan flew towards Kenshi, Kenshi's sword flew out of his hands, stopping the attack.

The Tarkatan looked at the sword confused, not noticing Kenshi jumping into the air to attack. Delivering a brutal jumping side kick to the Tarkatan's face, he went flying to a nearby tree. Disoriented, the Tarkatan didn't have enough time to react before the sword was driven through his heart, pinning him to the tree.

One Tarkatan came charging through, getting past both Kenshi and Kung Lao. As the Tarkatan began to swing his arm blades at Izuku's neck, Izuku dipped his neck back, evading the lethal blow. As the Tarkatan began to prepare another strike, Izuku bashed the butt of his assault rifle on the Tarkatan's head. Disoriented, the Tarkatan didn't have enough time to react before Izuku grabbed him by his gi and threw him headfirst towards one of the tree's mouths. As the Tarkatan tried to get himself out, the mouth bit down, causing the Tarkatan to briefly scream in pain before his legs flew off in different directions, as the tree swallowed.

"We have to push up!" Izuku shouted, quickly reloading his rifle before firing it again onto the crowd.

"Agreed!" Kung Lao replied. The trio moved towards the Flesh Pits, taking down anyone that stood in their way.

Running through the entrance of the Flesh Pits, the trio kept fighting. The Tarkatans behind them began to quickly give chase. Izuku cursed, trying to come up with an idea on how to stop the horde from descending on them once again.

Kenshi beat him to the punch, holding out his hand. A wave of blue light washed over the entrance of the Flesh Pits, before an avalanche of rocks slid down, blocking it.

"Nice work." Izuku stated.

"Glad to please you." Kenshi replied.

Kenshi, Kung Lao, and Izuku began walking down the stairs, wondering what would await them.

"I never thanked you guys for coming with me on this little excursion." Izuku stated

"You don't need to." Kung Lao replied.

"I only did it to get closer to ending Shang Tsung." Kenshi replied.

Izuku chuckled. "Well, closer to ending Shang Tsung or not, I'm grateful."

As they kept going down the stairs, Kung Lao couldn't help but speak up.

"So, who taught you how to handle a knife like that?" he asked.

Izuku sighed. "My teacher. He was a vigilante once, like me. He took me in, along with two others when we had nothing. I owe everything I am to him."

"Sounds like a good man. Is he still around?"

Izuku shook his head. "No. He died eight years ago."

"I'm sorry for your loss. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to him?"

"I killed him." Izuku replied. Kung Lao and Kenshi stopped, briefly taking a look at the vigilante.

"I'm sorry." Kenshi stated, surprising Kung Lao out of his stunned state.

Izuku shook his head. "Don't be. My teacher left me no choice. He had gone insane, believing that only a precious few among people deserved to truly be honored for their service to the public."

He turned to face Kung Lao and Kenshi.

"He tried to murder a teenager."

Kung Lao looked at him, confused. "Really? Why?"

Izuku sighed. "Let's just say that age didn't matter to my teacher. If you didn't fit his vision, you deserved death. I had done my best to tolerate his actions, but that? That…was the final straw for me. I had to stop him."

Seeing a light in the distance, Izuku and the others began to quicken their pace. However, they soon stopped when the scent of rotting flesh and stale blood.

"What the hell is that?" Izuku asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Nothing good." Kung Lao replied.

Entering the room, the trio was stunned by the sight in front of them.

"Jesus." Izuku whispered, seeing the piles of cadavers strewn throughout the pit. In the distance, there was another pile filled with deformed women.

At that moment, they heard a groan of pain near them.

His breath caught in his throat.

"Mileena." Izuku whispered. He rushed to the place where the trio heard the noise.

Vaulting over the stone gurney, Izuku was greeted by the sight of the Half-Tarkatan, marred with bruises and cuts.

Bending down, Izuku placed his hand underneath her head, shaking her gently.

Mileena groaned weakly, blinking her eyes.

"Izuku? Is it really you?"

"Yeah, it's me." Izuku replied. He looked up and down Mileena's body. "You look like shit."

Mileena chuckled weakly. "Feel like it, too."

Mileena began to get up from the ground, leaning against the wall.

"Thank you….for coming to rescue me."

Izuku clasped her arm reassuringly. "It's nothing. That's what friends are for, right?"

He chuckled. "Damn, we really have come a long way, haven't we? Remember that time you had to talk to Kitana in the courtyard? Never told you then, but I was a bit nervous about how things were gonna go."

"Good thing you were there." Mileena replied.

"Yeah. Good thing I was. Here's the thing though." Izuku stated, his features turning cold.

"You didn't talk to Kitana in the courtyard."

Click

"You talked to her near the shores of Shang Tsung's Island." Izuku stated, aiming his pistol at Mileena's stomach.

Kung Lao whistled. "How'd you even…"

"Shang Tsung's capable of shapeshifting into any one of us. Doesn't hurt to take precautions." Izuku replied.

"Clever boy." the clone crooned, before driving her forehead into Izuku's nose. Izuku shouted in pain, as the clone teleported away in a flash of red light. Trying to regain his bearings, Izuku spotted a small stain of red on the ground. Izuku, recognizing it as blood from his years of training with Stain, dove away from the stain, as a woman in red clothing erupted from the ground.

Click

Izuku barely had any time to react before a bladed hat was thrown in front of his face.

BANG

BANG

BANG

Three bullets pinged off the metal, before the hat fell to the ground and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Thanks." Izuku stated to Kung Lao, breathless.

"No problem." Kung Lao replied, putting his hat back on.

Izuku took out his pistol and his switchblade.

"Dammit, this was all a trap." he muttered, his tone full of regret.

"It's alright, you couldn't have known." Kung Lao replied.

"Gentlemen, I hate to interrupt, but we've got company." Kenshi stated

"A bit late to the party with that statement, Kenshi." Izuku replied.

"Not that, I meant that there's an entire army coming to this place!" Kenshi exclaimed.

A terrible explosion blasted through the pits, showering everyone in the pit with various bits of stone and dirt. A man garbed in red and black floated out of the rubble, glowing an eerie green.

"Damn it, they're here!" Kenshi exclaimed.

"I think your sword's being a bit confused right now, buddy." Izuku replied. "Because…"

"We are the fusion of the many souls destroyed in this realm's wars, you are but one. We will destroy you." Ermac stated, emotionlessly.

"...That. Because of that. Fuck me, does he ever say anything else? It's always the 'we are many' monologue with this guy." Izuku continued.

The trio faced their opponents, back to back against each other.

The red garbed woman laughed. "Well, isn't this just precious? The star-crossed lovers, hoping to reunite after being forcibly separated, only…oh no! It appears one has fallen into a trap, while the other lies, beaten and alone, wondering where her savior is."

Izuku snarled, training his pistol at her.

"Lady, I don't know who you are, but you should really start to consider yourself a former member of the living."

The woman chuckled. "Oh, where are my manners? I am Skarlet. The one next to me is Erron Black, the man who was able to bring my rival down to where she belongs. Finally, well, we have Ermac. I'm sure he doesn't need any introductions. He's quite angry at how quickly he was taken out of the last tournament, so I suppose he volunteered to help me just to get even with you Earthrealmers."

Kung Lao sighed. "Well, aren't we popular?" he quipped, lowering himself into a fighting stance.

"This is the kind of popularity I could live without." Izuku growled, racking back the slide on his pistol.

Kenshi raised his blade. "So, how're we doing this?"

Izuku hummed for a few moments, before turning to his left to speak to Kenshi.

"You're the one with the blade that carries the souls of your ancestors. You might stand a better chance of facing him. He's not blinding you, though, is he?" Izuku asked.

"No. My vision went haywire at first, but it is beginning to stabilize now. I can see him just fine."

"Good. I'll take on the cowboy."

"And that leaves me with the blood lady. Alright, sounds like a plan. So what, do we fight on three?" Kung Lao asked.

"I'll settle for this!" Izuku shouted, firing a bullet at Erron Black, signaling the start of the brutal Kombat that was to follow.

AN: Next chapter is the three-way faceoff against Erron Black, Skarlet, and Ermac. That, or a bonus chapter focusing on Kuai Liang.