Welcome back to Mortal Kombat Ryujin! Last time, Cynder and her forces set sail for Kronika's Keep on Kharon's ferries, eliminating the Cyber Lin Kuei threat and Geras just as Revenant Liu Kang, armed with the soul of his living counterpart, arrived and nearly killed Cynder. Her saving grace though came in the form of Raiden, who at the cost of his life was able to rescue Liu Kang and Spyro from Kronika's clutches. Now, the final battle begins. So how's it going to go? Read on to discover...
(Our tale resumes with Kronika's Keep in sight, with Spyro and Cynder now standing on the bow of Kharon's main ship, with Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Commander Briggs, and Cyrax standing with them)
Spyro: Get ready everyone. The minute that gangplank drops, we can't stop for anything.
Cynder: You ready?
Spyro: I won't lie, I'm kind of scared.
Cynder: We've faced worse than this.
Spyro: And this time, we're not holding back.
Cynder: I had no intentions to.
(As Kronika's Isle becomes clearer, it also becomes immediately clear that Netherrealm demons are just waiting for the ships to hit the beach)
Spyro: Here we go again.
Kharon: Brace for impact!
(And just as Kharon gives the warning, the Netherrealm forces charge, and when the main ferry's gangplank drops, Sub-Zero and Cyrax are the first ones on the battlefield, Cyrax trapping demons in holographic nets while Sub-Zero freezes anyone he can see. Within moments of this Scorpion teleports onto the battlefield with a tornado of fire and starts literally ripping out the hearts of the demons. By this point two other ferries have hit the beach, allowing the Special Forces led by Cassie Cage and the Matokan warriors led by Nightwolf to join the fray. The Special Forces throw in grenades to breach the front lines, allowing Cassie Cage, Sonya, Jacqui Briggs, Johnny Cage, Jax, and even Young Johnny Cage to start firing into the hordes of demons while Nightwolf and the Matoka are literally bisecting demons in their wake. As Nightwolf looks back quickly, he sees a fourth ferry has arrived, headed by Liu Kang and Kung Lao, as the Shaolin enter the fray, leaping from the deck onto the oars, upon which they enter the battle just as the final ferry arrives, carrying Kitana and the forces of Outworld. With a flare of her war fans, Kitana calls everyone into the battle as she leaps off the side of the ferry and onto the beach, followed shortly by Jade, Kotal Kahn, Skarlet, Erron Black, Baraka, Sheeva, Revenant Sindel, and Revenant Kabal along with the armies of the Tarkatans, Shokan, and Osh-Tekk.)
Kitana: If we die today, it has been an honor fighting alongside each and every one of you.
Jade: The honor is ours, Kitana Kahn.
(And with the warriors ready to battle, Kitana gives the signal and the armies of Outworld enter the fray. Revenant Kabal dashes through the hordes spearing them with his hook swords while Revenant Sindel unleashes her powerful shrieks, literally popping demon heads like they were balloons. Erron Black shoots his targets full of holes allowing Skarlet to turn their blood into weapons, including a scythe for herself. Kotal Kahn, despite his injuries in defeating Shao Kahn is still the fighter he ever was, especially paired with Jade, meanwhile Sheeva and Baraka are making quick work of any demon coming their way. And leading the charge, Kitana disembowels demons left and right with her war fans before kicking their heads in. If anything the most overwhelmed are the Special Forces commanders, but not for long as Commander Briggs leaps from the main ferry right into a crowd of demons, dispersing all of them with a powerful shockwave punch)
Jacqui Briggs: (Seeing her father is aiding them) Does this mean your back?
Commander Briggs: It means, above all, I'm sorry, Jacqui. And hell yeah, I'm back in the game!
(With Commander Briggs in action, the Special Forces start pressing into the armies against them. Even then, the legions of the Netherrealm aren't even phased by the sheer amount of force against them. That is until the sky seems to break with thunder, as if Raiden had returned. But he's not back. Instead, up in the air, catching everyone's eyes, Spyro and Cynder are channeling every last ounce of power they can, allowing Aether and Dark Aether respectively to permeate every cell of their bodies before dual dive-bombing into the armies of the Netherrealm, and atomizing every demon around them, clearing the way for their forces to rejoin them in a final charge on the Keep's front entrance, guarded by yet more demons, which Cynder specifically is able to neutralize in mere moments allowing everyone to access the door)
Cynder: Everyone stand back!
(As soon as Cynder gives the warning, she and Spyro fire the strongest bolts of Aether and Dark Aether they've been able to channel yet, blowing the whole building clean open, as well as taking down some of the front walls of the inner sanctum, allowing the entire army to charge the bridge to the Keep. As the battle rages more demons arrive, but they don't last long as Spyro and Cynder's forces slice through them like paper. Kitana flaying the faces off demons with her war fans, Kung Lao splitting them in half with his hat, Liu Kang straight up kicking demon head off like a bad pinata, Jax and Commander Briggs literally crushing heads with combined punches, and so much more I leave up to your imagination. Meanwhile in the midst of the chaos, Spyro and Cynder are approaching the main structure of the Keep)
Spyro: Liu Kang! Kitana! Kung Lao! This way!
(The three warriors finish off their targets before joining their dragon comrades. At which point we transition to the Hourglass chamber itself, where the remaining Revenants have entered attempting to warn Kronika and Cetrion of what is going on out there.)
Revenant Kitana: Is the battle lost?
Kronika: Not yet. Victory is still within our grasp. You will prevent the interference of those dragons, though you will require a bit of assistance.
(As Kronika energizes the Revenants, we transition to immediately outside the Hourglass chamber, where Spyro, Cynder, Liu Kang, Kitana, and Kung Lao have all arrived)
Cynder: Liu Kang, Kitana, Kung Lao, whatever goes down in there, it's been an honor fighting with you.
Liu Kang: The honor is all ours, Cynder, Spyro.
Kung Lao: Likewise.
Kitana: On this, we all agree.
Spyro: Alright then. May the Ancestors and the Elder Gods watch over and protect us.
(With this solemn vow made, Spyro charges his horns with Aether before ramming his head straight into the door, reducing it to atoms in seconds, allowing the quintet to enter, where they are immediately confronted by Revenant Kitana, Revenant Jade, and Revenant Kung Lao, all geared in Kronika's colors, as Kronika herself looks upon their uninvited guests.)
Kronika: Spyro, Purple Dragon of Legend. And Cynder, Terror of the Skies. The only beings beyond these Realms capable of having accomplished my goals.
Cynder: Newsflash Kronika, your armies are failing, You've just about lost.
Kronika: And yet you have done what no others I have summoned could ever have done. You have destroyed Raiden, or rather, made him destroy himself.
Spyro: Raiden's sacrifice will not be in vain, not so long as we stand here.
Kronika: Then you have come too little too late!
(With that, Kronika injects one last boost of energy into the Hourglass, and just like that, just the quintet of heroes charges, Liu Kang, Kitana and Kung Lao slow down and stop, before they start to move in reverse, leaving Spyro and Cynder to face the Revenants alone. And outside, everything is moving in reverse, all we have seen is being undone, as the impossible is starting)
Cynder: It can't be! She's already starting to reverse the timeline!
Kronika: A pity you two are not affected. Your strange energy shields you from the Hourglass. But your allies are gone, all of them! While mine remain to defend me. (To the Revenants) Finish them!
(Now the remaining trio of Revenants charge Spyro and Cynder. And against all odds, the Revenants are winning. Spyro and Cynder are thrown to the ground within minutes. But as the Revenants move in to finish them for good, a pair of familiar voices can be heard)
Raiden: You two hold a power beyond anything the Realms can comprehend. Not even the master of time and fate can stop you.
Ignitus: Now the time has come. Unleash the true dragon within each of you.
(At that instant, Spyro realizes something not even Kronika could have considered. Cynder realizes it too as both get up to fight on)
Revenant Jade: You two must be more foolish than we thought! Can't you see you are defeated!
Spyro: For a moment, I thought we were. But then both of us remembered something. Kronika drained some of my power into the Hourglass to try and cement her New Era. But in her haste, she forgot one thing. (As golden energy forms around his hand) She's not the only Time user in the room!
(With that, Spyro releases his golden energy, his long forgotten Time element, into the Hourglass, halting the upward flow of the Sands of Time, slowly dragging them back down again)
Spyro: I can't keep this up forever...!
Cynder: Focus on keeping the Sands flowing downwards, I'll handle the Revenants! (To the Revenants) Now then, who's ready to die again?
Kronika: Stop him!
(The Revenants attempt to fight their way past Cynder to stop Spyro, but now she's protecting the one person she cares about more than anyone, and she will not let anyone harm Spyro, not while she lives. After knocking out Revenant Kitana and Revenant Kung Lao for a moment, Cynder finally turns her attention to Revenant Jade, and after knocking parts of her armor off, snaps her neck with her own bo staff. As Revenant Jade falls, Revenant Kitana gets back up and rushes back into the battle, but is knocked down again in minutes)
Cynder: Now then, stand down! You may not be the Kitana I know, but I still have no wish to harm you.
Revenant Kitana: Harm me?! I'm already dead! My fate was sealed the minute I joined Raiden's forces!
Cynder: And now, you've sealed your fate again, siding with Kronika.
(With that, Cynder faces down Revenant Kitana, for one last battle. The Queen of the Netherrealm is strong, but Cynder has hope on her side, and wins the fight by beheading Revenant Kitana with her own war fans)
Cynder: Your morals are no mistake.
(At this point, Revenant Kung Lao gets back in the fight, as he's just about to throw his hat at Spyro before Cynder catches it and tosses it back at him, nearly taking his arm off. This enrages the last standing Revenant to the point where he almost kills Cynder before Spyro, taking his focus from the Hourglass, intervenes on her behalf)
Spyro: Word of warning, Revenant. Don't try that again.
Revenant Kung Lao: Your ego is bigger than Liu Kang's!
Spyro: You think either Cynder or I wanted this fate?! You think she wanted to be corrupted by a monster bent on destruction?! You think I wanted to be the reason so many young dragons died before they could live?! Neither of us asked to be what we are. It was thrust upon us. Just like Raiden thrust the Chosen One mantle upon Liu Kang!
Revenant Kung Lao: That title should have been mine from the beginning! And with Kronika's aid, it will be.
Spyro: She makes too many promises to keep all of them. And you're just another pawn she'll sacrifice at a moment's notice.
(With that, Spyro battles Revenant Kung Lao. The skill he possesses is clear, but Revenant Kung Lao's undying arrogance gets in his way once again, as Spyro slices him in half with his own hat before Cynder rejoins the battle as Kronika descends)
Cynder: Your allies have fallen, Kronika. Even with Raiden gone your defeat nears!
Kronika: You are as delusional as Raiden was. But even your power cannot equal and Elder God! Cetrion!
(As Kronika steps away, Cetrion is revealed to have taken on her own dark form)
Cetrion: Yes, mother.
(At her mother's order, Cetrion charges against Spyro and Cynder, and even their combined might is not enough to entirely defeat her.)
Cetrion: Individually you stood no chance, yet together you match me step for step!
Spyro: We all know why that is.
Cynder: Your heart isn't in the battle, Cetrion.
Spyro: You may battle for your mother's vision, but deep in your heart you must know that this "balance" is wrong!
Cynder: There is no virtue in condemning the Realms to endless war!
Kronika: Heed me, Cetrion! They lack the vision and wisdom to do what must be done!
Spyro: On the contrary, Kronika. You can't handle anything going beyond your grand plan, so you restart time to make sure they do.
Cynder: You take the easy way out in restarting time over and over again. Someone with real wisdom would adapt the plan to fit the circumstances, not the circumstances to fit the plan!
Spyro: Cetrion, you have seen this battle repeated time and time again. You have seen the results of your mother's idea of balance. And you have seen that it's a recipe for Armageddon!
Cetrion: If Armageddon is what my mother wills to be correct, then so be it.
Cynder: Think about what you're saying, Cetrion! All your life you've been simply obeying your mother's will, yet you despise Quan Chi for forcing the same thing on others on Shinnok's behalf! Stop thinking about what your mother wants, and see this situation through your own eyes!
(At this exact moment, Cetrion is caught aback as she remembers every timeline her mother has caused. Every dire scenario she was almost forbidden from stopping because her mother deemed them necessary for balance. And in that moment, she finally snaps. In that moment, Cetrion turns her powers on Kronika.)
Kronika: (Stunned) Now you turn on me Cetrion?!
Cetrion: I have denied the truth for too long, mother. Your idea of balance has caused enough damage!
Kronika: (Looking to Spyro and Cynder) I brought you to this world to ensure the New Era was ushered in by eliminating Raiden. Yet even in completing that one task you place another obstacle in my path. (Looking disgustedly at Cetrion) This time, my own daughter turns against me. Though there is one thing you forget, Cetrion. Any power you have been given, I CAN TAKE FROM YOU!
(With no mercy left, Kronika blasts Cetrion, and Cetrion fires back in kind. But Cetrion is ultimately no match for her mother, who strikes her down. And as Cetrion lets out one last cry of pain, her energy is absorbed into Kronika.)
Spyro: Cetrion!
Kronika: I do what I must to ensure balance.
Cynder: By murdering your own daughter!?
Kronika: She will be exalted in the New Era.
(With that, Kronika blasts Spyro and Cynder with the Sands of Time themselves)
Kronika: And despite your bluster, you both have failed!
(And just like that, Kronika gives the Hourglass the last push it needs to overcome the blockage Spyro put in it with his power, casting the Realms back into prehistory)
Kronika: The Realms as you knew them, the allies you've made, all are gone! History rewinds, giving way to the only era, the New Era!
Spyro: You haven't won yet Kronika!
Cynder: As long as we stand able to fight, your New Era will never come to arise!
Kronika: Now I see the delusion you share. You cannot save a future that does not exist!
(Now the final battle begins, Spyro and Cynder against Kronika. The battle is evenly matched from the start, and even when Spyro and Cynder do manage to knock Kronika down a few pegs, it is only just barely. And even when she's down, she continues to charge the Hourglass)
Kronika: You fools! Even know the Hourglass winds back to the beginning of time, where history ends and shall begin again! But you will never get to see it, as here and now, your names, your legacies, all you have ever been, SHALL BE WIPED FROM HISTORY!
Spyro and Cynder: QUIT BEATING YOUR GONG AND FIGHT!
(Not even flinching, Spyro and Cynder resume battling Kronika, and now we see the first battle was to learn, how Kronika fights, her strengths, her weaknesses. And now, the battle is truly on. Now Spyro and Cynder are holding nothing back, they've got too much to lose now. The battle rages for what feels like days. Kronika summons every fighter in Mortal Kombat history from their respective timelines to try and take down Spyro and Cynder. But ultimately it proves useless on Kronika's part, as there is nothing she can do. Spyro and Cynder rip through any opponent Kronika can throw at them.)
Spyro: With or without you, this timeline will be fixed.
Kronika: Sculpting the Sands of Time is beyond you. I am a Titan! You are NOTHING!
(Even after everything Kronika has thrown at them, Spyro and Cynder still aren't done yet, as they unleash their full power upon Kronika, casting the strongest beams of Aether and Dark Aether anyone has ever seen against the Sands of Time themselves. The sheer amount of power is beyond any comprehension, mortal or divine. But in the end, Kronika is overwhelmed, and her power is neutralized, before she herself is atomized)
Cynder: (Amidst heavy breaths) It's over...
Spyro: (Amidst heavy breaths) Yeah.
(And as the scene fades to normalcy, two familiar figures can be seen emerging from nowhere)
Raiden: Indeed. Kronika is bested.
Cetrion: But our work is not done.
Cynder: (Seeing their former allies) Raiden?
Spyro: Cetrion?
Raiden: You two have proven worthy of protecting not just Earthrealm, but all realms, once they are restored.
Cetrion: And as well, the Sands of Time are now yours to shape.
Cynder: Us? The architects of your worlds' history?
Spyro: Raiden, Cetrion, this task is beyond us.
Raiden: You have done things thought impossible throughout history. You have beaten Gods and Titans in a multitude of realms.
Cetrion: If anyone can set the timeline on a just path, it is you two. Return to time's beginning, set history right.
Cynder: (To Spyro) For everyone we've fought alongside, we have to try.
Spyro: (Sighs) Then let's do this. (As both walk up to the Hourglass, placing a paw upon it) You ready?
Cynder: I'm scared.
Spyro: We've got this. But we can't just drop everyone into this timeline blind.
Cynder: We'll gather everyone, just before the new timeline begins, let them know what to expect.
Spyro: Agreed. We're in the past, but not so far back that they can't be reached. (Looking at the Hourglass, then back to Cynder) Let's get to it then.
Cynder: Agreed. (To Raiden and Cetrion) This won't be the last time we meet.
Spyro: On that much you can count.
Raiden: Then we shall not say goodbye.
Cetrion: We look forward to seeing the timeline you create.
Cynder: (To Spyro) Let's do this.
(With that, Spyro and Cynder channel their energy into the Hourglass, causing the whole scene to be enveloped in a white light, as our tale ends for today)
And that's where we'll end for now. Next time, the finale of Mortal Kombat Ryujin. A small little epilogue explaining the new timeline Spyro and Cynder have created, and of course showing how those two get back home. I hope this final battle was suitably epic for all the build-up. But, all good things must come to an end. So, what timeline will Spyro and Cynder write? Tune in next time to find out! Same time... same channel!