Noob returned to his tower within the outer reaches of the One Realm. He hovered in the air in a fairly relaxed sitting position. Beneath him was his hoard of servants. He folded his hands, "I don't understand why the realms weren't destroyed as I wanted them to be. Could this be the Elder Gods' final attempt to stop me?"

He pondered this question to himself, not quite sure of an answer. Still it didn't matter, he had no opposition. Once the One Being returned, it would surely bring about the end of the realms just as he foresaw. The wraith was assured of his inevitable victory. With this in mind Noob thought back on when he was sent through the Soulnado. This was the catalyst.

It was not in the Soulnado where he had his revelation, but rather it was where he was sent when the Soulnado dissipated. It was in the Void where Noob witnessed a vision of the end. In this vast emptiness he witnessed Armageddon. What he saw was the world itself tearing apart at the seams. People running for their lives as both the sky and ground gave way to bleak nothingness. Inside this tear in reality was sheer blackness. Witnessing it would be enough to drive a normal person to madness. However Noob was not a normal person. His already fragmented mind shattered further upon witnessing this event.

He fell to the ground, clutching his head. His silence gave way to maniacal laughter. But it wasn't a loud laughter, it was quiet laughter. A quiet yet deranged cackle. Noob soon came to grips with reality. What he witnessed were the Elder Gods seeing one of many possible futures. He gathered his thoughts, with a new agenda in-mind. Knowing he was in the presence of the Elder Gods made him sick. His evil essence felt a natural disdain for them but even more than this, he felt anger. This anger stemmed from the fact that the Elder Gods did nothing to prevent this possible Armageddon and his corruption into the being he was now. "These lazy insolent worms must pay," he thought to himself.

Noob made a break for it out from the Void when the Elder Gods descended to Earth to help Raiden defeat Shao Kahn. He returned to the Netherrealm. It was within the outer pits of the forsaken realm he waited. He knew of Shinnok's plan, he knew that he wouldn't be able to take control of the Brotherhood with the fallen Elder God still around. It was only when both Quan-Chi and Shinnok were finally dead or disposed of that Noob could take control. He waited 20 years to enact his plan to kill the Elder Gods and all life with them.

Noob's thoughts returned to the modern day. He crossed his arms, "We are one step closer to our goal. We may've lost a few in our ranks, but they're at peace now. Soon, we shall as will. But yet, there's something we must take care of."

"The Jinsei Chamber," Noob pointed out, "they will attempt to use it to resurrect Shao Kahn. We cannot let this happen." He descended back onto the ground, pointing to the Sky Temple, "I will send only the best to guard it, make sure they don't make it inside."

He looked to his ranks and chose Mileena, Enenra, and Sareena to head the attack on Jinsei Chamber. He smirked under his masked, "I would simply teleport you there but I must save my power for when the One Being finally returns."

He sent them away along with a large faction of the Brotherhood's army. They could not fail. If the forces of light could rejuvenate Shao with the Jinsei then he very well might gain the power needed to prevent Noob's victory. Still he was worried. So worried in fact he used his godlike powers to resurrect Shang Tsung yet again. He instilled the old sorcerer with the power of the deceased Liu Kang and Sindel, granting Shang greater power than before.

"You are champion of the Netherrealm now," Noob said to his new servant, "head to the Edenian palace and eliminate all possible threats to my plans."

Shang grinned at this second chance, "You will not regret your decision, my master. Only I have the skills to weaken them from the inside."

"I know," Noob replied. This was followed by a devilish cackle, "Now waste no more time! Make them suffer and then kill them all!" Shang vanished at his master's request.

He would arrive at Kitana's palace where he would wait in the shadows until the time was right. Those who did not depart to the Sky Temple were there, recovering from the battle of Armageddon. Ermac rushed to Jade as soon as he entered the palace. She had passed out while they were gone. He woke her up. She looked up to him with weary eyes, "What happened?"

"Shao Kahn failed," he said, very bluntly, "we…have failed." He lowered his head, "But there's still time. Many have departed for the Sky Temple to revive Shao Kahn. The Jinsei is our only chance."

She pulled herself back up, "Then what are we waiting for? I can't stand just laying here with our lives on the line." Jade was determined to join the fight as a fire burned inside of her. Ermac lifted her up with his telekinesis, "We can't let you fight you're in no condition to!"

She broke free of his grasp on her and continued to the doorway but was met with her best friend, Kitana. The queen held her hand out, preventing Jade from exiting. She pleaded with her, "You can't leave! I've already lost too many friends. Don't let me lose you too!" Kitana began to even cry, her losses were all too great, "Don't make me lose you again."

Jade hesitated but continued forward, "I'm sorry Kitana but I can't just stand idly by." She grabbed her staff, fully prepared to leave on her own but Ermac teleported in front of her. He sighed, "If you so wish to leave, then we'll leave with you. We won't let you leave alone." Ermac had grown close to Jade during this time, closer than he'd ever admit, he couldn't let her leave. Not without him.

"Very well," Jade agreed. She looked back to Kitana, who was heartbroken at her decision to leave. Jade solemnly nodded, "My queen this is something I have to do." Kitana wiped the tears from her eyes, "If you feel so strongly. But don't call me, "my queen," I'm your best friend." They didn't need to say another word. Jade strutted confidently out from the room, Ermac hovering behind her. The two of them would soon catch up with Raiden and his group.

Hanzo soon walked in, carrying the limp body of Sub-Zero. He wasn't dead but he seemed close to it. Kitana ran to Hanzo, "How is he?"

"I don't know if he'll make it," Hanzo said to her. He gently placed his comrade's body on the floor, his anger at both himself and Noob growing. To think that if he had simply let Bi-Han live, none of this would have happened. He always had issues controlling his rage and it always brought him nothing but pain. What could he do? He couldn't go back to change things, he can't save Kuai, and he can't even fight Noob. Not now. Flames engulfed Hanzo as his human face gave way to a skull. He looked to the ceiling and screamed, his anger overtaking him again.

Fujin's winds blew away the flames, "That's enough, Hanzo!" Hanzo turned to Fujin as he reverted back to normal, "I'm…I'm sorry. I just, I could've prevented this! I shouldn't have killed Bi-Han! It's my fault!"

The wind god placed a hand on his shoulder, "You couldn't have foreseen this. Nobody could have. Not to mention you were being manipulated by Quan-Chi. You're not responsible."

"I suppose you're right," Hanzo agreed, "but I can't help but feel bad."

Fujin smiled, "Nobody's perfect, that's what makes you human." The deity hoped this would calm Scorpion's nerves.

"When Kuai saw that I was angry he always made me tea to calm me down. I should do the same for him." Hanzo departed for the palace's dining halls, hoping to find ingredients for tea.

Kitana knelt down to Sub-Zero's body. He helped her so much since she was freed from Quan-Chi's corruption. She felt she owed him in some fashion. She gently wrapped her arms around the cryomancer, cradling him. She intended to reassure him in what was one of his worst moments. Within his mind, Kuai was stuck reliving the moment he was betrayed by both his brother and his best friend.

The words "You were always soft," rang through his ears. He could see it, Noob's uncaring glare as he simply backstabbed the younger Sub-Zero. He thought that perhaps there was still a way to reach out to Bi-Han. Kuai's life was surrounded by death and the loss of loved ones. His brother, his friend, and even his clan were all lost. Though he tried his best to hide his sorrow behind a stoic façade yet he was only lying to himself. He was a very broken man. Kitana removed his helmet and mask, revealing his agonized expression.

She caressed his face, "I'll find some way to help you, Kuai. I promise." Kitana too had suffered many losses. In a way, they were similar in that regard. The two had been through a lot, forging a strong bond. A bond that was unexpected but not unwelcome to either. Unfortunately neither wanted this to last, as they both felt that a relationship would only end with their partner feeling pain.

None of this mattered right now, though. All that mattered to Kitana at this very moment was helping Kuai recover in any way she could. She thought back to all she had lost. It all came back to her, her mother, her best friend, her right to rule to Edenia, her lover, her right to rule the Netherrealm, and now seemingly Sub-Zero. It was all too much. Her grip on him tightened as she said in a hushed tone, "No, I won't lose you either."

Within the bowels of the One Realm, Raiden and his band of heroes marched onwards to the Sky Temple. Their current location was the winding desert of Edenia. It seemed to stretch on endlessly.

"So," Cassie spoke out, "when're we getting to the Sky Temple?"

Raiden sighed, "This is about the fifth time you've asked that, Cassie and the answer never changes. We will get there when we get there."

"You gotta be kidding me," Jacqui groaned, "how come you can't just teleport us over there? You can do that can't you?"

Raiden stroked his chin, he hadn't thought of the idea. He gave it a shot and it didn't work, "It seems Noob Saibot has placed some sort of barrier that cannot be infiltrated through teleportation. We must continue on foot."

It was at the point the utter futility of their quest sank in. As they journeyed forward through the wastelands, they found trouble in the form of an oncoming car. Cassie lowered her sunglasses, "A car, here in Edenia? That can't be right."

"This isn't just Edenia anymore," Frost reminded Cassie, "it's likely just a straggler from Earthrealm." The car stopped in front of them. It was a large pale sand colored jeep. The truck's door opened and a brown clad ninja with a stony skin walked out. His stature was enormous, outsized only by the Shokan and Shao Kahn himself. He cracked his knuckles, "The Black Dragon has come to take its revenge for the death of Kano!"

Raiden stood forward, "Stand back, we have no time for this. There is much more at stake than the honor of your clan."

"How do you even know Kano's dead," Jacqui asked, "he just died."

"Thanks to his cyborg enhancements, we're always able to keep track of his vitals. They dropped off right around this area. You can call me Tremor, by the way."

Reptile scoffed at him, "You're far outnumbered, nomad! You ssstand no chance so leave usss be!" Tremor chuckled at that remark, "You're the ones who are outnumbered. Everywhere I go, I am followed by comrades." He picked up a pile of sand and let it run through his fingers, "The Earth itself is my ally..." He raised his hands and waves of sand rose up from behind him, "and it is where you shall be buried!" Tremor thrust his arms forward and the waves of sand came crashing down upon them.

Frost shot out ice at him but molten hot lava rose up around Tremor, melting it before it could even hit him. Raiden attempted to shoot bolts of lightning at him but the elemental rose up a wall of stone, blocking every attempt. Cassie ran towards, revving a punch up. He caught it with his hand and crushed her hand, "Geez, I hate to hurt a woman like this."

"Then why don't you let me go ya big creep?"

"I must avenge Kano," he answered before tossing her aside like she was weightless. From behind, Havik grabbed Tremor. Tremor elbowed his opponent, shattering multiple bones in the process. Havik crashed into the sand below. He raised a barrier of sand around himself, hardening it into stone. He seemed almost invulnerable in an arena like this. He laughed, "You stand no chance against me here! Give in before it's too late and perhaps the Black Dragon will spare your lives!"

Raiden flew up above and shot lightning down through the barrier. Tremor responded by sending up a pillar of sand, knocking him out from the sky. Jacqui ran in with Cassie, the two of them circling around him. This caused him to lose focus and Cassie went in for a punch below to belt. When he recovered, Jacqui came in and socked him in the face. This hit was so hard his mask cracked in half. He fell to the ground, wrapping himself up with sand and sinking into the ground. It almost seemed like he had been defeated, but they were wrong.

Kenshi could sense him, the subtle rumbling. He could feel the sand heading for Takeda! He tackled his son, the both of them narrowly avoiding being on the receiving end of a massive sand fist. Tremor broke out from the massive fist, angrier than before. He growled in frustration, "This'd be so much easier if you just complied!"

He clapped his hands together, causing a massive shockwave to rumble across the desert. Kenshi lifted him up with telekinesis, removing his feet from the ground and thus his ability to manipulate it. He smirked, "Not so powerful now, huh?" He pulled out his katana, shoved it into the ground handle first, and slammed Tremor into the blade. He screamed in agony but didn't die. They almost considered finishing him off right then and there but Tremor had different plans. With the katana still embedded in his stomach he sunk back into the ground, disappearing for good. The Black Dragon lives on.

Havik pulled back up, as if he weren't even gravely injured, "Nothing quite like conflict to keep things interesting. We must keep the conflict going! Come on!" Frost froze him where he stood, making sure he didn't wander off.

Cassie took a look at Tremor's car. It was beat-up, with a quite a few dents. Much of the exterior's paint was scraped or straight up missing. Yet she had an idea, "Who's up for a little road trip?"

It was faster than just walking but it was also quite cramped. There was just barely enough for all involved. Jacqui was the driver. Takeda sat right next to her. Not in the chair next to her, but right next to her on the armrest. The person sitting in the passenger's seat was Raiden, acting as a guide. The sand wasn't exactly great road material but it made things much quicker and less tiring. The more energy they could conserve the better.

Trailing behind them were Ermac and Jade, who were investigating the battlefield where they fought Tremor. The blood was still fresh and Ermac could still sense Tremor's presence. Jade knelt down to the crimson stained soil, "What do you think happened?"

Ermac grabbed a sample of the sand. He shut his eyes and he could see the battle that took place. He motioned to where the jeep took off to, "They went that way! We must hurry." Ermac picked her up with his telekinesis and they both travelled onwards.

Rising out from the sand was Tremor, a cluster of rocks having formed where the wound once was. He growled, "They took my car! Son of a bitch, the Black Dragon will take that out of my paycheck!"

He received a call on his phone, he answered, "Hello? You made out the footage from Kano's eye? I see. I'm gonna have to kill Johnny Cage…" He hung up, almost saddened by this. He loved Cage's films. They were shlock but they were the best schlock out there. Still the dedication to his clan was strong so he had no choice but to find Cage and assassinate him for revenge. Grains of sand rose around him until he caused a massive sandstorm. He rode this sandstorm off towards the Edenian Palace, the only structure visible to the east.

Time was quickly running out, the sky darkened to a black swirling void as two piercing eye shaped formations in the sky opened. The eyes were a dull purple with a gray tinge to them. The One Being's awakening was nigh. Back within the Edenian palace, Shang Tsung's devious plan began. He took advantage of his shapeshifting abilities and took the form of his greatest enemy, Liu Kang.

He ran into the throne room, where Kitana was still comforting the defeated Sub-Zero. Kitana was surprised to see her former lover, still alive. She stood up and gasped, "Liu?! You're alive?!"

"Yes I am," Shang replied, "the merging of the realms allowed me to return to you, Kitana."

Johnny Cage ran up to his old friend, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "Liu, buddy! Long time no see, eh? How've you been?"

"Liu" gave a warm smile upon seeing Johnny, "I've been better. But I'm here now. I want to fight for Earthrealm again!" Kitana stroked her chin, she could feel something was off about Kang but wasn't sure what. Perhaps it was just the fact that he was back so suddenly, or that she had known him far longer as the monster he became than the hero he once was. She walked up to him, looking him over.

Shang could feel she was getting suspicious, so he hugged her to distract her. He gave her a wide toothy grin, "Is something the matter, Kitana?"

She couldn't believe it, she hadn't felt Liu's embrace in what seemed like an eternity. She no longer had to feel the hole his loss left in her heart. She swooned instantly, "No, nothing at all. It's just been so long, Liu. We're both alive…back to the way we used to be."

Things seemed great, until the palace began to rumble. A massive earthquake shook the structure to its very core. Tremor rose up through the tower on a stack of bricks and stones. He broke through the floor.

Sonya recognized him, "Tremor!" Tremor bowed before leaping off of the stone pillar, "Ms. Blade, it's always a pleasure." His eyes met Cage's and he growled, "Johnny Cage I'm here to avenge Kano. It's nothing personal but he was my boss."

Johnny gulped, "Listen big guy I didn't mean to kill him! What do you expect when a guy has this big glowing bulb on his chest, for me not to hit it? Whatever the Black Dragon's paying you I can give you double! I'm loaded!"

Sonya slapped him, "Johnny that's a member of the Black Dragon! You can't just give him money for threatening you!" Johnny tugged at an invisible collar while worriedly shrugging, "Look at him! He can control rocks and we're basically in one big rock surrounded by tiny rocks! I'm just thinking rationally!"

"No amount of money can save you," Tremor retorted, "my loyalty to the clan will never falter!" He raised and then lowered his arms, causing bricks to fall down to the floor. Fujin blew the bricks away before they could hit anyone.

Fujin defensively stood in front of everyone. He loudly boasted, "As long as I am here, no one will get hurt!" Without Raiden, he was the de facto leader of the group. And he would take full responsibility for that.

Tremor cracked his knuckles, "Then it looks like I'll have to get rid of you." He thrust his arms forward, causing more bricks to fly forward. Fujin deflected every one of them with his staff. He turned back towards everyone, "Get to safety, I'll take care of him myself!" The others were too wounded to fight so they took this chance to make a getaway, leaving just the elementals to duke it out.

The Black Dragon mercenary gave a lone nod to Fujin, "Though I must fight you, I respect what you just did."

"And I respect your loyalty to your clan," the wind god replied. Tremor ran to Fujin with his arms outward. Fujin rode up in a gust of wind, narrowly avoiding his opponent. He appeared behind Tremor and grabbed him by the wrists. He pulled back, snapping multiple of Tremor's muscles. Tremor retaliated by wrapping Fujin up in a cluster of stones and squeezing. Fujin broke out of the stones' grasp and lifted him up in a cyclone. Tremor struggled as Fujin slammed him into the ground multiple times before throwing him against the wall. The golem got back up but he struggled to stay up. He clenched his fists and again the palace began to quake. Fujin looked around as it seemed like it was starting to sink into the sand.

"If I cannot kill Cage alone, then I will kill us all," Tremor screamed as he dragged the fortress into the ground. Fujin lost his footing and nearly collapsed. He looked around in a panic, only seeing one option. He raised his hands to use the wind to raise the castle back up. The two struggled for dominance, exerting this much power put a great strain on both. At this point it was less a fight and more a battle of endurance. In the end, it was Tremor who fell. Exhausted from the wound Kenshi left in his stomach earlier.

Fujin finally collapsed, the great strain left him winded. He didn't pass out but it felt like he was going to. Drenched in sweat and gritting his teeth, Fujin had been pushed to his limits. It was at this point everyone returned to the throne room, the entire place a mess. There were missing segments across both the floor and ceiling, the thrones had massive chips on them, and the velvet rug was in tatters.

With everyone exhausted, Shang saw it was now a fitting time to strike. He walked up to Kitana, still disguised as Liu. He figured she'd be the easiest to take out first due to her emotional attachment. "Kitana, may we speak in private," he asked. She agreed, the general unease she felt around him returning.

The two stepped out of the room, with "Liu" running his hand across her face. "Kitana," he began, "I missed you. I missed you so much."

She smiled warmly at him, "I feel the same way, Liu." Behind her back, she reached for her fan, still sheathed inside the blade. Before he could say another word, she drove this blade into Shang's shoulder, expanding it while inside, "And that's why I need to let you go." Shang pulled the fan out angrily, reverting back to his normal form, "You…you utter cur!" He vanished in an instant, appearing behind her and grabbing her by the arms, "I was going to kill you quickly but now I'll enjoy watching you suffer as I suck the soul from your body!"

Before he could do anything, Hanzo Hasashi ran in and put Shang into a chokehold. He told her, "Tell the others of Shang's presence before he escapes!" She did as he said to, running back into the throne room.

"Shang Tsung is here," she warned her allies. Everyone got into a fighting stance as Shang walked in, dragging Hanzo's soulless corpse behind him. He grinned, "His soul is mine. You will be next!"

As everyone prepared for a fight, Fujin instead chose to see the Elder Gods about this matter. He knelt before them, "My Elder Gods, the realms have merged and soon the One Being shall awake. We need your help before Noob Saibot can unbalance the furies and destroy the realms."

The Elder Gods whispered amongst themselves for a moment before speaking in unison, "It is not our problem until the void fully merges with the realms. Until that happens, the One Being shall not awaken."

Fujin folded his hands and began to beg for their assistance, "Please! We have been facing a nonstop assault from Noob's forces and it won't let up until he kills us all!"

The Elder Gods refused yet again, "It is your battle, not ours. The One Being won't awaken, we assure you. Only we know the outcome of Armageddon."

Fujin's brow furrowed and his frustration reached his peak, "If this is how Raiden was treated, I can see why he turned against you! Even in the face of total destruction you can do nothing but talk down to us like the ants you consider us to be! If you will not help then I hope the One Being feasts upon your corpses!" The first time in his life, his faith in the Elder Gods had faltered. Fujin was furious at them, not sure whether they were simply lazy or cowards. It was after this rant he vanished. His hope was lost and he knew now that surely they would fall by the One Being's hand.

The Elder Gods looked to each other. One spoke out against the others, "He's right! We must act now or else the One Being will consume all of reality!"

"We cannot baby our creation," another replied, "we must let them fight their own battles rather than have us always interfering!"

"We never interfere," a third Elder God reminded him, "we have done very little. Besides, this is our battle now that the One Being has come into play. We must help them." A massive argument broke out amongst them all until an ominous feeling began to creep in.

They could feel it, the One Being's consciousness awakening as the Void was slowly merging with the One Realm. It was at this point they agreed to finally assist in preventing Armageddon. They took their golden dragon form and descended to the One Realm. They knew they needed more than one warrior to defeat Noob, as Shao Kahn was not enough. They knew who their second champion would be.

They raced to the car where Shao Kahn's body was. One half of the Elder Gods inhabited his body as he got back up, breaking out from the car's trunk. The other half possessed Raiden. The both of them rose into the air, supercharged and ready to finish Noob Saibot before his plans could come together. The two flew towards his tower in the Netherrealm in a streak of light.

The car stopped. Takeda looked up to the sky where they took off, "Does anybody want to tell me what just happened?"

Havik replied, "It is life taking its course, the rebalancing of the universe! Chaos shall soon be restored to the way it should be!"

"Basically the Elder Gods are finally doing something," Frost explained.

Within the Netherrealm's tower, Noob awaited with glee. He could feel the One Being's presence as he sat in his throne. His concentration was ruined when Shao Kahn came crashing down through the ceiling. He screamed, "What?! You're not supposed to be here! I made sure the Sky Temple was impenetrable!"

Shao Kahn stepped towards him, "Your merging of the realms ends here, wraith." He was soon joined by Raiden. Noob realized he was not only face to face with Raiden and Kahn he was face to face with the Elder Gods themselves. He growled as he stood up from his throne, "I see. I defeated Shao Kahn when you inhabited his useless body, what makes you think this'll work?"

"Victory in numbers," Raiden and Kahn replied in unison, getting into kombat stance. Noob cracked his neck, "We shall see."

And that'll do it for this chapter. Next time the fate of the Realms is in the balance! Raiden and Shao Kahn together at last! Can they defeat Noob before his plan for complete and utter omnicide can finally pull through? Will Shang Tsung finish off the remaining members on the side of light? Find out in the penultimate chapter to the story, coming up next!