Twice!

He had failed twice!

He had chastised, mocked and punished the Shokan for failing him twice, and now he himself had been defeated by Earthrealm twice! He. Shao Kahn. The Undefeatable Emperor of Outworld. He had been defeated twice within the span of a single year - in both his own realm, and the realm he had now wasted a full millennium trying to conquer!

His plan had been foolproof: Have Shang Tsung resurrect Sindel in Earthrealm. Place her under mind-controlling magic to make her obedient and loyal. Use the fact that she, his legal wife, was being held in Earthrealm and wished to return home to justify a 'brief excursion' into Earthrealm to reclaim her, as was his legal right. Bring an invasion force with him and conquer Earthrealm before the Elder Gods could intervene. Acquire the power of Earthrealm's Jinsei to challenge the Elder Gods themselves and secure his Eternal Empire once and for all. But, once again, Liu Kang had bested him; just as his 'great' ancestor had foiled his plans all those years ago.

After his second defeat, the emperor had fled into the wastes of Outworld. The battle with Liu Kang had left him weakened and incapable of properly defending himself, should a powerful enough opportunist cross his path. The Elder Gods would be after him now, and there was no chance of escaping their wrath. He had played them for fools - a crime that could not go unpunished.

By now, the damage caused by the attempted merging had been undone. And worse, even Edenia had been released from Outworld, somehow. Most likely, Liu Kang had claimed Edenia's Unity Orb after his victory. As a result, Shao Kahn had not only gained nothing, but he had lost much. There was little hope that he could maintain the image of a mighty ruler without a major public power play now.

A portal opened close to the scorched farmhouse he had taken refuge inside. Gripping his Wrath Hammer tight, he took cover near the front door, ready to cave in the skull of whoever it was that had found him the very instant they entered the building.

"So close, Emperor," said a mocking voice Shao Kahn had heard on only one occasion, but would never forget. "But, alas, success in this endeavour is quite the binary state."

"Hold your tongue sorcerer!" the Kahn exclaimed, his mighty foot shattering the door's hinges and splintering its wood, revealing that the intruder was, in fact, Quan Chi, a demonic servant of the fallen Elder God, Shinnok. Quan Chi had paid the emperor a visit on his master's behalf some time ago, offering an alliance. Ever confident in his inevitable victory, and with Shang Tsung's necromancy to provide him with additional forces from the Netherrealm, he had denied the request and sent Quan Chi back to hell from whence he had come. Even without the infuriatingly smug grin and tone he made no effort to hide, the sorcerer was very obviously enjoying this ironic turn of events.

"I mean no disrespect, Emperor. Especially now that your ego is at its most fragile." Despite his claims, he was quite clearly revelling in this. "Fortunately, my lord offers you his assistance once again."

"I need aid from no one!" Kahn insisted. "Least of all your master."

"Indeed? Even if he offers you invisibility in the eyes of the Elder Gods and their enforcers? Can you truly risk declining such an offer after so openly defying the Elder Gods' will?"

"...What does he demand in return?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with, Emperor. After all, you will accept our terms, regardless of the price, for the alternative would be... Well, I believe that is best left up to your very artistic imagination."

Loathe though he was to admit it, there really was no other option available to him. As an Elder God himself, there was no question that Shinnok could provide what he promised. With all he himself had lost to Raiden many aeons ago, there was no doubt that Shinnok was planning his own move against their mutual enemy, which would require a sizeable force to follow him. He would surely call upon Shao Kahn's forces to assist him and, should he succeed, Kahn would have no more need to fear the Elder Gods' wrath. And if not, he would have the time he needed to rebuild his own power base before Raiden once again turned his attention toward him.

"I... accept," he said finally, presenting himself as more reluctant and defeated than he truly was.

"Very good. I will return to my lord's side and inform him of the good news. As for you, I suggest... No. I trust one as calculating as yourself will know how best to utilise this most generous of boons until you are needed." And with that, Quan Chi returned through his portal, closing it behind himself.

If not for his need of Shinnok's aid, he would have crushed Quan Chi's impudent skull beneath his heel then and there. Luckily for the sorcerer, the message he had to deliver was important enough to protect him from the emperor's wrath. Someday, he would suffer greatly for not knowing his proper place. But, for now, the emperor would wait, veiled beneath the shroud of protection Shinnok offered, until he was ready to make his return and make amends for this ultimately minor setback. He had grown careless, complacent, in his millennia of unbroken victories. This 'loss' was actually a valuable learning experience, with which he would rise back up even mightier than before. And when he did, nobody - not Raiden, not Shinnok, not Liu Kang, nor even the Elder Gods - would be able to stand in his way.

In the end, he would rule over one, unified realm, sat atop a throne crafted from the bones of his many, many defeated enemies. And all would bow down and despair that Shao Kahn could never truly be defeated.


This one is somewhat building on an idea from the previous chapter, but I had the idea for this one first, then included it in Chapter 30. Originally, Shao Kahn would have had assistance from Shinnok to explain the Netherrealm forces mentioned in Scorpion's UMK3 story, but I really liked the idea of Quan Chi revelling in the reversal of power.