Chapter 11: 2nd Day of the Tournament
Sonya suddenly finds herself in the middle of nowhere. Seemed like the ruins of a destroyed Special Forces Base. The winds were blowing hard and there were more than several dead bodies. But then she hears voices. Three people she easily recognizes.
"Sonya! Where are you?!" Jax and Jacqui called out to her.
"Jax?! Jacqui!" Sonya yells as she runs through the desert. She runs as fast as possible to follow his voice.
"Sonya! Help us!" Johnny and Alex also yells out.
"Johnny! Alex!" Sonya said. She continues running as she passes by more dead soldiers and undead and many Outworld armies. But then she hears a voice she wanted to hear again.
"Mom! Save us! Please help!" Another voice called out.
"CASSIE?! Cassie!" Sonya stops in place.
Then she suddenly finds herself in the Netherrealm again. In the Cathedral of Shinnok. An evil Elder God that no longer exists. Where she was trapped and her fate was sealed by the revenants. Instead of them, she sees Shao Kahn holding Johnny and Alex by their necks, Cassie held at knifepoint by Kano, and Kintaro holding Jax to the ground by a foot and holding Jacqui by her arms and legs. All of them being battered and beaten.
"You are supposed to be the general and leader of this group. But now you've failed. And look where that has gotten you, Blade." Shao Kahn said to her.
"Let them go, you cold-hearted bastard!" Sonya tries to charge him, only for Kabal to stab both of her shoulders with his hook swords and force her to her knees.
"Mom. I'm so sorry. I love you so much." Cassie sheds some tears while looking at her.
"Me too." Jacqui grunts in pain.
"Your realm is now mine for eternity! And your punishment for failing them is the pain of loss!" Shao Kahn said. He tightens his grips and snaps Johnny's and Alex's necks, instantly killing them. Kintaro snaps Jax's neck with his foot and rips all of Jacqui's limbs off and she bleeds to death as she screams. And Kano slits Cassie's throat open.
"NO!" Sonya yells out as tears burst out. She is then engulfed by Kintaro's fire breath as the temple explodes on her. Like it did before.
Sonya wakes up screaming in her chambers covered in some sweat. Her screams were loud enough for Johnny to hear and he runs into her realm and sees her heavy breathing for air.
"Sonya!" Johnny walks to her with a look of worry on her face. The first thing she does is hug Johnny tightly. "Breathe. Take it slow and easy."
Sonya drinks some water and her breaths were slowly turning back to normal. But her hands are still shaking like crazy. She tries not to have a panic attack.
"I…. I saw them again. Alex. Jacqui. And Cassie. They were right there in front of me. You and Jax were there as well. Those bastards Shao Kahn, Kano and Kintaro murdered you all. Right in front of me. And I did nothing. The last thing I remember was me dying in the temple." Sonya is very shaken.
"Oh, Sonya. 've been a badass mom and a boss. It can still happen." Johnny tries to tell her.
"I can't help but think about my last day of my life. I died protecting our daughter, Jacqui and our would-be son in-law. Until that time bitch came along and undid our hard work. And because of her, we're back to the start like a video game." Sonya said.
"None of it was your fault. You said it yourself. We were the sword and shield. We took down Shao Kahn and Shinnok. And that bitch is long gone thanks to Liu Kang and Alex. And we are the sword and shield. Things will be different. Everyone's still taking time to adjust to things. I mean Liu Kang is still new to this god thing." Johnny said.
"You were right about everything. Right about me. I was a stubborn bitch back then. Even Jax wasn't like that. All I ever wanted was for the family to be back together." Sonya said.
"You will. You just have to believe in yourself. Believe in me and Liu Kang. Trust the guys that we couldn't before. You're here for a reason. Even in the Special Forces, there is such a thing as second chances. Cassie would say the same thing. So would Jacqui and Alex." Johnny said.
Sonya looks at Johnny. Johnny, while naive sometimes, is far from being stupid. He has his ways. Even he would do anything to protect his family. Sonya smirks and caresses Johnny's face.
"You're right, Johnny." Sonya said before she kisses him. "Let's go out there and kick some ass."
"Heh. I thought you'd never ask." Johnny said. He gets up and helps her from the bed as they walk out from the chambers, ready to be escorted to the colosseum for the second day of the tournament.
Time for the tournament to resume. Shao Kahn is currently waiting for the champions of Earthrealm to arrive so they can start. He receives some reports from Kitana.
"Reiko has been banished from your service as you requested. But unfortunately, Skarlet vanished after she was healed." Kitana said.
"If you or anyone else see her, bring her before me. She will face judgment for abandoning me. My best blood mage is now gone. Possibly turned traitor." Shao Kahn said. He expresses anger for her sudden disappearance. Even Kitana doesn't know why. Kitana remembers being at the tournament and was chained, with Skarlet watching the tournament with the other followers.
The champions of Earthrealm have been summoned to the colosseum, ready to fight whoever they're up against. "Day two of the tournament will now begin! Ermac, Step forward. You will be facing Johnny Cage."
Ermac steps forward and his eyes and body both glow. Johnny smirks and cracks his fingers, ready to fight. Sonya does not like the idea one bit.
"He can't." Sonya tries to go forward, but Liu Kang puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Sonya. Stay here. Mortal Kombat has been declared. This is Johnny Cage's fight now." Liu Kang said. This only makes Sonya worried even more.
"Alright, tall, dark and ugly. Let's see what you got." Johnny said before they fight.
Johnny suddenly comes in with a knee strike to the stomach, a slam fist to the head, a kick to the chest followed by four punches and a backflip kick. Ermac easily recovers. Johnny jumps to do a flying kick, but Ermac grabs him with his powers and blasts him backwards. He then teleports behind Johnny, punches him in the lower back, grabs his shoulders and slides up and throws him down to the ground, back first before slamming down on him. Johnny gets back up and does a low kick to the right leg and a swing kick across Ermac's jaw. Ermac stumbles, but then he shoots energy blasts at Johnny, sending him into the air and does another to the chest, sending Johnny crashing to the ground, landing on his back.
Johnny charges at Ermac and throws a punch and a swing kick, but Ermac dodges and blocks an arm swing. Ermac then does a kick to the chest and jaw and Johnny goes backwards, but Ermac lifts him off the ground and holds him upside down. Ermac jumps, kicks Johnny in the face, teleports, kicks him in the back and sends him in the air. He blasts him in the back with his powers and again in the chest, cracking Johnny's chest a little. Ermac then holds him in place, does a palm strike to Johnny's chest, cracking it more. He then skull bashes Johnny's head, cracking his skull and finally lifts him into the air, and knees Johnny in the spine, cracking it greatly. Johnny lands on his back, covered in bruises and some bones broken as he is defeated.
"Ermac wins!" Shao Kahn announces. Sonya and Jax run to Johnny to help him up.
"Johnny! You alright?!" Sonya asked in worry.
"T-that… that's gonna be smart in the morning. Heh. Was hoping to kick his ass, but nope." Johnny smirks. "Maybe next time."
"Oh, there won't be a next time. Because it's time for some fucking payback." Jax said as he steps up to challenge Ermac.
"We remember you. We took your arms and made you bleed in pain. Now you will suffer more." Ermac said.
"Yeah? Well try me. It won't be easy like last time." Jax said.
"You will regret challenging me. We will be the last ones you will ever see before your life ends in Outworld." Ermac said before they fight.
Ermac fires an energy blast at Jax, only for the latter to punch right through it and it turns into nothingness. Jax then does two punches to the face, an upper kick to the chest, then grabs Ermac and throws him two to the ground two times. Jax then kicks his right leg, cracking it and does a charge punch to the chest as Ermac stumbles backwards. Jax then does punches to the shoulders and ribs before jumping, kneeing Ermac in the chest and slamming a fist down onto his head, sending him into the ground.
Ermac scoops Jax off of his feet, holding him upside down with his powers before kicking Jax in the back of the head and in the back, sending Jax backwards. Ermac blasts Jax with two energy blasts, hitting him in the chest before coming in doing a palm strike to the chest and chop striking his head, back handing him across the face before sending a palm to his stomach, hitting him and lifting him in the air with his powers, throws him down, chest first. Ermac then does two kicks across the face as Jax is a bit dazed. Jax pounds both of his fists together as the entire fight, his arms glowing brighter after each hit Jax landed. Jax leaps forward and goes for a straight punch, but Ermac grabs it with his telekinesis and holds it in place.
Jax goes for the other arm, but gets caught as well. Ermac starts working to rip his new arms off, but Jax was prepared. Heat suddenly fires out of his hands, hitting Ermac in the chest, cracking his chest. Ermac loses his grip allowing Jax to gain the upperhand. Jax slams a fist to the ground and causes Ermac to stumble and Jax grabs his throat and punches him two times before slamming his head to the ground two times, cracking his chest. Jax grabs both of Ermac's legs and slams him onto his back, breaking some of his ribs and then throws him backwards and Ermac lands on his chest, nearly breaking his spine as a lot of blood comes out. Ermac is defeated and Jax is left completely satisfied.
"Ha. Now that is payback, you son of a bitch. You break me, I'll break you worse." Jax slams both fists together before he walks away, smiling. He was glad Jacqui beat Ermac up for him at the Sky Temple, and now he's more than satisfied. Sonya smirks, seeing how Jax got his revenge. So did Johnny even though he grunts in pain.
"Now for the next match. Kitana. Do what must be done." Shao Kahn tells her.
"Understood, master." Kitana said. She calls him master, but refuses to call him father, after knowing that he lied to her throughout her entire life. And swore to never do so again.
"About time I get to fight her for a change. Even if I might break a bone or so and leave bruises. So be it." Sonya said as she is the next to step up. Sonya and Kitana face each other as they look into each other's eyes. They both remember their promise to not go easy on each other and to trust each other.
"Fight!" Shao Kahn said.
Sonya has tonfas while Kitana has her fans out. They run at each other and swing their weapons swiftly back and forth. Kitana backflip kicks Sonya in the chest and sends her back. Sonya lands on a knee as Kitana throws her fans at her. Sonya kicks them away as she comes at her. She then does a punch to Kitana's left shoulder, an elbow strike up at her jaw, then knees her chest as she jumps before doing a kick to the head, sending Kitana back, who rolls back and gets up. Kitana does a palm strike to the left shoulder, a chop strike to the right thigh, before doing three kicks to the chest and head. Sonay gets back up, only for Kitana to chop strike Sonya's left rib cage, collarbone, and spins in place kicks Sonya's stomach three times, sending her back.
Sonya secretly smiles to herself as she gets up. She punches Kitana's right knee, grabs her throat with her legs and throws her down on her head. Kitana recovers, only for Sonya to jump, punch her in the face before kicking her right rib cage, kick her left leg, her face followed by a backhand to the face and a punch to the shoulder. Sonya then follows up with an uppercut to Kitana's chin, cracking it and Sonya jumps and does three kicks to the forehead. Parts of Kitana's face are bleeding and have a few bruises.
Kitana chop strikes Sonya in the stomach, chop strikes her in the left thigh followed by stabbing the left thigh with her fan blades. Sonya screams in pain, but Kitana spins in place and cuts her shoulders. Sonya jumps to kick her, but Kitana grabs her ankles and throws her backwards. Kitana kicks her in the chin and waves her fans in place, kicks her again and sends her in the air. Kitana jumps and does an eagle strike kick to the stomach, sending Sonya down and Kitana then knee strikes Sonya in the chest hard, causing it to crack greatly. Kitana then lands on her, cracking part of Sonya's skull.
"Now. Beg for life." Kitana pretends to threaten.
"K-kiss my ass, you freaking princess bitch." Sonya weakly said before spitting blood onto her mask. Kitana retracts her fan and punches Sonya in the face as Sonya lays there, defeated. She wipes the blood off of her mask as she walks away. Kitana smiles behind her mask, having enjoyed that fight. Shao Kahn is pleased with Kitana's victory over Sonya but is a bit disappointed she didn't finish Sonya.
Johnny runs over to help Sonya up as she is too weak to stand. He notices Sonya smiling weakly. "What's so funny?"
"Oh. Even though I lost, that match was worth it. I told her not to hold back. That's how you put your cards on the table." Sonya snickered as Johnny helps her away from the field.
"Now for the next match. Jade. You know what you must do. Hold back on nothing." Shao Kahn tells her.
"As you command, Shao Kahn." Jade said as she steps forward. Much to her surprise, she is now fighting Cyrax.
"The Lin Kuei will no longer serve the likes of Shao Kahn and his forces. We will stand against him from here on out." Cyrax said.
"Then you are a fool, Cyrax. You should have remained hidden." Jade replied.
"I will not hide. Not anymore." Cyrax said. They begin to fight.
Cyrax and Jade go at each other with their wrist blades and bo staff. They are both quick with their running speed and attacks. They switch between offense and defense. That was until Jade kicks Cyrax's left leg, palm strikes his right shoulder and knees his chest, cracking it. Jade then does an eagle kick onto Cyrax's head, punches his forehead and stomach and kicks his left rib cage before taking her bo staff and swings it at his left shoulder and his face. Blood starts coming out of Cyrax's nose, but he gets angry. Cyrax jumps to attack, but Jade blocks with her bo staff, parries his attack and punches him in the face and he slides backwards.
Cyrax gets back up and isn't gonna go down that easily. He throws microbombs in the air and Jade throws a razor rang at them and they explode. Smoke is everywhere, but Cyrax comes in and does a punch to Jade's forehead, right thigh, elbows her chest and traps her in an electrified net, shocking Jade as Cyrax does a punch to the throat and an uppercut, sending Jade back as she spits up some blood. Jade throws a razor rang again, but Cyrax deflects it with his wrist blades as he cuts part of her right arm, causing it to bleed a little. He is about to stab her in the chest to finish her, but Jade grabs his wrists, kicks him in the chin, stumbling him and she spins her staff vertically at his chin four times, cracking Cyrax's jaw before slamming it on his right shoulder, cracking it as well. Jade does a boost kick to his face before she teleports and kicks him in the back, making Cyrax go forward as Jade teleports again, slams the middle section of her weapon into his forehead before slamming an endpoint of it onto his forehead, cracking his skull greatly. Cyrax flies backwards, defeated.
"That was too easy. You put up quite a fight. I must admit the Lin Kuei are stronger than what I have heard." Jade smirks as Cyrax manages to find the strength to get up and leave. "Who's next?"
"Lord Liu Kang." Shao Kahn said, getting his attention. "You're starting to run out of champions. Bring forth a worthy foe. If you can, that is." Shao Kahn mocks him for his choice of fighters.
Fire God Liu Kang turns to Kung Lao. "Kung Lao. Remember. Jade is strong and quick. Do not underestimate her. She will be lethal if she has to."
"I remember. Learn to exploit any weaknesses. Study their movements. Fight them by any means necessary." Kung Lao nods to his master. He is the next to step forward to challenge Jade.
"The monk who defeated Shang Tsung. I was hoping to test your skills for myself. Do not grow arrogant and think you'll get off easy." Jade said.
"I don't expect anything to be easy as you do, Jade. I do not let overconfidence get the best of me." Kung Lao said.
"We shall see about that, champion of Earthrealm." Jade said. Standing behind Shao Kahn and Kitana, Li Mei watches from a good distance. Her heart hopes that Kung Lao could possibly win this match and defeat Jade. But she has this feeling that she never had before. Maybe a sign of friendship?
Fujin walks into the colosseum with Smoke. Smoke looks around and he sees Cyrax injured from his fight.
"Cyrax!" Smoke approaches him.
"Smoke? What are you doing here?" Cyrax asked, surprised to see him.
"I know everything. About the timelines. Fujin restored me." Smoke explained.
"What about Kuai Liang, Bi-Han and Sareena?" Cyrax asked.
"I do not know. Liang and I separated. And Sareena stayed behind to watch over Bi-Han. Hopefully they got out of there safely." Smoke said.
"That is if Sektor doesn't get to them first." Cyrax said. They both watch the tournament.
Kung Lao and Jade begin to fight.
Kung Lao comes at Jade, throwing many melee attacks at her, which she is barely able to block. He gains the advantage by punching her forehead and left waist, followed by teleporting behind her with his hat and kicking her in the back of the head, sending Jade forward, but she hits the ground with her hands and does a front flip jump to recover. She throws a razor rang around her as Kung Lao comes closer and barely steps back, but gets some cuts on his forearms. Her razor rang comes back to her as it forms into a shortblade. Kung Lao gets out his own sword as they clash weapons. They clash with their weapons. Kung Lao thrusts and swings his sword in circles as he overpowers Jade's blade and does a triple kick to the chest, cracking it as Jade is sent backwards.
Jade gets back up and was ready to fight back. She brings her staff out and charges at Kung Lao. Their weapons clash with each other until Jade manages to lock with his sword and she swings it out of his hands. Jade hits him in the forehead with her staff before she pal strikes his right shoulder, knees his chest followed by a kick and a reverse kick to the chest. She then slams the endpoint of her staff onto his chest, swings it at his left shoulder and slams it on Kung Lao's head, cracking the top of his skull. She swings it at his left hip before dash kicking him backwards.
Kung Lao shrugs off his injuries and sees what she does. He sees her using her razor rang when at a distance and when her opponents are stunned, she closes the gap with her staff and whenever she is approached, she goes on the defensive. Kung Lao knows what to do. Kung Lao starts charging at Jade and she uses her razor rang to spin in place, but Kung Lao jumps over her, grabs her shoulders and throws her down on her back and uses his hat to knock the razor rang away. Jade swings her staff to trip him, but Kung Lao jumps over it, does a dive kick to the head before bouncing backwards. Jade continues to swing as Kung Lao blocks them with his kicks before he does a kick to Jade's right waist followed by a jumping swing kick to the side of the head, does two punches to her shoulders, knees her chest before giving her a strong uppercut to the jaw, cracking it greatly as Jade is sent flying backwards, defeated.
"You should learn to adapt to situations. Be thankful I have respect for you and your skills." Kung Lao bows to Jade out of respect before he walks away.
"That was something, Lord Liu Kang. I must admit. Your best fighter is better than I would have thought. But do not think this is over. Because I–" Shao Kahn is interrupted by Shang Tsung.
"We have a visitor. Someone from the Lin Kuei." Shang Tsung said.
"Very well. Bring him in." Shao Kahn said.
The doors open to welcome someone. Warriors from both Earthrealm and Outworld look to see who it is. It is Kuai Liang. The younger brother of Bi-Han. Liu Kang smirks, knowing he would show up on time.
The younger brother of the first Sub-Zero enters the colosseum. He looks around and recognizes Raiden, Nightwolf, Johnny, Sonya and Jax. He is pleased he now sees Smoke and Cyrax alive and well as humans rather than cybrogs.
"Kuai Liang!" Smoke tries to step in.
"No, Smoke. These fights are Liang's alone." Fujin tells him.
"But Sektor–" Smoke said.
"Kuai Liang will know what to do. Trust me." Liu Kang said.
"Who dares to interrupt the tournament of the great Emperor Shao Kahn?" Shang Tsung questions him in anger.
"Shao Kahn. I am Kuai Liang. The younger brother of Sub-Zero. I demand to face Scorpion in this tournament for what he did to my brother Bi-Han. You will bring him to me at once." Kuai Liang said.
"No one dares to make demands to the emperor! If you want to face Scorpion, then prove your worth. Reptile will be your opponent." Shang Tsung said.
Reptile steps forward and growls at Kuai Liang. "I may have lost to your friend Smoke, but I will not underestimate you. You're nothing but a Sub-Zero wannabe."
Kuai Liang and Reptile fight.
Reptile spits acid slime, only for Kuai Liang to do an ice replica and steps out of the way as the replica melts. Kuai Liang then freezes Reptile's legs in place as Kuai Liang jumps, punches Reptile in the head, uppercuts him in the chin before kicking his chest twice, sending him back. Reptile gets up and growls, only for Kuai Liang to backhand him across the face, stab his shoulder with an ice sword, freezes him with his ice powers. He then slides under his feet, scooping Reptile off of his feet and slides backwards and punches his back, cracking his spine greatly. Reptile rolls and lands on his chest and gets up. Reptile does his own slide attack, only for Kuai Liang to stomp his feet into the ground, slightly freezing it and Reptile is suddenly hit by an ice pillar that sends him upward. Kuai Liang then jumps and does a strong kick to the chest, cracking it greatly. Reptile strikes the ground hard as he lays there bleeding.
"Flawless victory." Kuai Liang said. Reptile manages to get up and walk away before the former turns to Shao Kahn. "Your fighters hold you with overconfidence, which will be your weakness. All they do is die for your amusement. And that fate is nearly shared with my brother. Now bring me Scorpion."
"And you shall. You will die trying." Shao Kahn smirks with confidence. His hand glows and all of a sudden, Scorpion shows up. They still don't know that Scorpion now has his old personality again.
"What is this? Who are you? You are not Sub-Zero." Scorpion pretended.
"I am his brother. I fight for honor and for family." Kuai Liang said.
"He HAD no honor! If you want to die in his place, so be it!" Scorpion said before they fight.
Kuai Liang and Scorpion are going all out with each other. They were fast. Very fast. That was until Kuai Liang kicks him in the chin and punches both of his arms. Scorpion teleports a few times trying to hit him, but Kuai Liang avoids each blow before he freezes the ground, and Scorpion nearly slips. Kuai Liang swing kicks him in the head and slides forward and shoulder bashes him in the chest before he uppercuts him in the chest. Scorpion is sent flying, but he teleports and front flip kicks Liang in the head and throws fiery punches to the chest, right shoulder and to the head, sending Kuai Liang back down.
Kuai Liang recovers and does a swing kick that sends out an ice wave, but Scorpion back flips out of the way. This allows Liang to close the gap by punching Scorpion in the face followed by a kick to the side of his head. He then freezes his legs, does a backflip kick to the chin and was gonna go for an ice punch, but Scorpion's hand is covered in fire as he slams his palm to the ground, freeing himself and knocking Kuai Liang away. Scorpion breathes fire from his mouth as Kuai Liang shoots ice beams from his hands. They were evenly matched until Kuai Liang stomps his foot on the ground and most of Scorpion's body is frozen in place. Kuai Liang comes in and punches Scorpion in the rib cages, breaking some of them, then headbutts him so hard, Scorpion's skull cracks greatly before Kuai Liang shoulder bashes him backwards. Scorpion is defeated. He lays there out cold.
"For you, my brother." Kuai Liang said. He puts his hands together and creates a big ice sphere. Sonya, Jax and Johnny are shocked at what he is doing. Sareena shows up at the colosseum and sees what Kuai Liang is gonna do. Her eyes widened and runs as fast as possible, hoping to stop him.
They think he's gonna kill Scorpion. Smoke and Cyrax try to reach out to stop him, and then all of a sudden, the cyborgs of the Cyber Lin Kuei show up.
Kuai Liang remembered something from last time and this time, he slams the ice sphere into the ground and all five cyborgs are all frozen and stabbed with sharp icicles, destroying them all.
"What the hell?" Sonya asked, very surprised.
"I don't remember that shit happening last time." Johnny said.
"I suspect a certain someone has something to do with that happening. And why are these two here with us?" Jax said. He spares a glimpse at Fire God Liu Kang. He just stands there and smirks.
Sektor teleports right in front of Shao Kahn and bows his head to him out of respect.
"Who now dares to interrupt the great Outworld tournament hosted by Shao Kahn?!" Shang Tsung said.
"Warlord Shao Kahn. I am Sektor. The new Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. I come here to make a request. To bring Kuai Liang and his followers back to the temple for assimilation." Sektor explained to him.
"And what do I gain from approving this request?" Shao Kahn asked.
"The Cyber Lin Kuei's loyalty and service for as long as you live." Sektor said.
"Sektor has started the Cyber Initiative and killed his father to take over. I have mentioned to you about their successes and pride. They can make armies and should you make this request, they have plans with allying with the Black Dragon, who are also on our side." Shang Tsung smirks. Shao Kahn also smirks, very impressed by the recruitments Shang Tsung has made.
"Very well. He is yours. Whether you choose to kill him or make him one of yours." Shao Kahn said. Sektor then slowly turns to Kuai Liang.
"Sektor. I know it is you. You betrayed the clan. I know of your crimes. You sold us out so Quan Chi could murder the Shirai Ryu for it and frame my brother." Kuai Liang berates him.
"Honor comes for what is the best thing for us to do, Kuai Liang. Exterminating the Shirai Ryu was just a start. Now surrender. And tell me where your friends are." Sektor demands.
Sareena could not believe what she was hearing. Sektor betrays his own clan out to Quan Chi, making a secret deal to have him wipe out the Shirai Ryu, which included Hanzo's wife and son.
"W-what? It….. cannot be. It cannot be true." Sareena stares in disbelief.
"Sektor killed the clan and Scorpion's family?!" Cyrax said. He remembered his last moments from the Old Era, where he briefly teamed up with Kuai Liang and Hanzo, surprised to see the two getting along with each other.
"Sektor….. We trusted him. He has been lying to us. This entire time." Smoke said before Cyrax suddenly turns to Liu Kang.
"You knew of this the entire time, didn't you? You knew Kuai Liang would show up. You knew where Smoke was and has Fujin save him." Sareena said to Liu Kang.
"Had I told you of their whereabouts earlier, you would have went off on your own to look for them. You would have been captured. That's why I sent Fujin to find Smoke and I searched for Kuai Liang." Liu Kang explained. "What I failed to see was you coming. I do not remember you."
"My name is Sareena. I'm Kuai Liang's and Bi-Han's friend. I'm here to stop him from killing Scorpion. But I did not realize that Sektor betrayed us to Quan Chi. He was my master until I joined Bi-Han." Sareena said.
"Where is Bi-Han? You were supposed to stay with him." Smoke reminds her.
"That's another thing I need to talk to you about. I left to find more items to help heal him. But when I returned, he was gone. The Cyber Initiative is looking for him too." Sareena said.
"What?! He's gone?" Smoke asked.
"Lord Liu Kang. Where could he possibly be?" Kung Lao asked.
"I do not know. My visions only come up when major events are to occur and it's up to me to change it. Most of them showed me the outcomes we faced in the Old Era or would have faced if Kronika did not interfere with the past and present. They did not show me what would happen to Bi-Han if Scorpion were to spare him." Liu Kang explained. "I cannot foresee and change everything even though I am the keeper of time."
"Then it is up to Kuai Liang to decide his brother's fate. Wherever he is." Raiden said before they turn back to Kuai Liang and Sektor.
"I will rather die than expose my friends to you, Sektor. You will never find them." Kuai Liang.
"The Cyber Initiative will eliminate all insubordination. You will be the first example, Kuai Liang." Sektor said before they fight.
Kuai Liang and Sektor both shoot ice and fire at each other. They were evenly matched until the ice wall exploded and they stop. Kuai Liang creates an ice wall behind himself, does a slide attack, grabs Sektor by his robotic ankle, and throws him through the ice wall. Sektor recovers and shoots missiles at Kuai Liang. He responded by shooting small icicles at each missile, blowing them up. A bigger icicle comes Sektor's way, as Kuai Liang thrusts it forward, but Sektor grabs the icicle, chops it in half and elbows Kuai Liang in the face and double kicks him in the chest. He then teleports behind Kuai Liang and uppercuts him in the back before slamming both fists down on his head and knees him in the chest.
Kuai Liang is sent backwards, but he shoots the ground with ice to recover. He summons an ice axe to fight back. Sektor fires more missiles, which Kuai Liang swings his axe at and gets rid of them. Sektor teleports behind him, only for Kuai Liang to elbow him in his robotic stomach, slice the axe across his chest, slams it onto his shoulder, kicks him on the chin and on the top of his metal head, sending Sektor down, defeating him.
"You will pay for your deceit, Sektor. You will pay with your life." Kuai Liang raises his ice axe. He was ready to finish Sektor once and for all. But he sensed something wrong. He has this feeling which is familiar to him. Like someone he knows very dearly is nearby. Someone cold. Kuai Liang turns around and he sees Bi-Han. His older brother healed up, standing over the unconscious Scorpion.
"Bi-Han?! What's he doing here?!" Cyrax is surprised.
"This is a bad place for him to be here. The Cyber Lin Kuei might show up at any given moment." Smoke worries.
"I do not think so. They follow his commands. Sektor would do anything to achieve his goals, but cannot hide his cowardice." Liu Kang tells them.
"But Bi-Han? What does he plan on doing?" Sareena asked.
Fire God Liu Kang sees Bi-Han coming closer to Scorpion and brings up an ice sword. "By the gods! No! I should have seen this coming!"
Kuai Liang had a choice. He looks down at Sektor at his mercy. And he looks at Scorpion at Bi-Han's mercy. He looks back and forth, trying to decide what to do. He tightens his grip around his ice axe and comes to a decision.
"Finally. Now vengeance will be mine." Bi-Han said. He raises his sword, ready to strike the killing blow. He yells as he thrusts his sword down… only for it to be stopped by Kuai Liang's axe. He looks up to face his younger brother. "Liang! What are you doing?!"
"I should be asking you the same thing." Kuai Liang said, their weapons locked with each other.
"Fulfilling the promise that you failed to complete. I am ending this specter. Once and for all." Bi-Han tells him.
"Brother. You do not understand. The Shirai Ryu and the Lin Kuei were set up. By Sektor. He betrayed us to Quan Chi. He killed Scorpion's wife and son." Kuai Liang said. This gets Bi-Han's attention as he looks at the red cyborg.
"Sektor. Is this true?" Bi-Han asked.
"Yes. My father and I made a deal with him. But he kept him alive as Scorpion. And so we could initiate the cyber operation without interruptions. But we have traitors in our midst. You two, Cyrax, Smoke and Sareena. You will all submit." Sektor said. He teleports away so he could undergo repairs.
"Bi-Han. Please. We can work together. We share a common enemy. The Cyber Initiative. They only want us as mindless slaves. To take away our free will. Our souls. We share the same enemy with Scorpion. He was set up." Kuai Liang tells his brother.
Bi-Han looks down at Scorpion and looks at his younger brother again. He thinks about the future of the Lin Kuei. He opens his eyes to look at Kuai Liang.
"You're… you're right. Sektor. He must die." Bi-Han said. Liang gives a small smile. "... but Scorpion must die as well."
"What? I do not understand. Why do you say that?" Kuai Liang asked.
"Because the Shirai Ryu are inferior towards the Lin Kuei. They have been our enemies for far longer than you and I were brought into the world. He died once. He must die again. They spat on our clan's honor when he humiliated us during the tournament. The Lin Kuei will always be superior. And Sektor must die. He stained our honor. Together. You and I can be co-grandmasters. We can take on the Cyber Lin Kuei, take it for ourselves. We can rule them for all of eternity. You and I can be cyborgs, live forever, and assure our superiority over the Shirai Ryu." Bi-Han tells him.
"No!" Kuai Liang kicks him away from Scorpion. "This is not the way. Scorpion is not the enemy this time."
"Kuai Liang. Do not interfere! I will do what I must to restore the clan's honor! And if you try to stop me, then I will have no choice but to fight you too!" Bi-Han said before they fight.
None of the heroes, not even Liu Kang could see this coming. Who would've thought that Kuai Liang would fight his own brother who is still Sub-Zero. Even Alex is thrown off by what's gonna go down. While they fight, Scorpion wakes up and teleports away.
Kuai Liang and Bi-Han clash at each other with their respective ice weapons. Kuai Liang kicks Bi-Han's chin and on top of his head. He then elbows Bi-Han's chest and double kicks it and sending him further away. Bi-Han shoots ice balls at his younger brother, who swiftly dodged them all. He swings his ice axe, but Bi-Han blocks it, headbutts his brother away and does a punch to the face and then across the face followed by kicking him in the chest before doing a backflip kick to his chest, cracking it and sending him into the air. Bi-Han freezes his brother in place before jumping and doing a front flip kick to the stomach, sending Kuai Liang down.
Kuai Liang gets back up and tightens his grip. He fires die beams at his brother, who dodged it, only for Kuai Kiang to back kick him in the head, elbow his stomach and palm strike his chest before grabbing his head and slamming it into the ground. Kuai Liang stares at his brother, being at his mercy. This gives Bi-Han the chance to chop and break his ice axe into pieces. Bi-Han kicks Kuai Liang away and kicks his chest, punches his face and does a up kick to the chin, cracking it and sending Kuai Liang into the air and uppercuts him in the back, cracking his spine as Kuai Liang lands on his chest, just about defeated.
Bi-Han has his ice sword in his hands and approaches his younger brother. He raises it in the air and slams it down….. near his head and into the ground. Kuai Liang sees this and looks confused.
"You held back on your strength, forgetting what I taught you to begin with. You're lucky I'm not gonna kill you. But if you get in my way again, then I will not hesitate. Now I will finish what you could not. You broke your promise." Bi-Han said.
"Brother, wait." Kuai Liang tries to reach out to him.
"We share blood. But we are not brothers." Bi-Han disowns him. He turns and sees Cyrax, Smoke and Sareena. "My friends. Cyrax, Smoke. And Sareena. Come. We don't need this traitor. We can work it out. We can bring together the true Lin Kuei. We don't need Sektor for staining our honor. We can all be immortal. Make Sektor as an example, end the Shirai Ryu permanently. Have the Cyber Lin Kuei stand forever." Bi-Han tells them.
Sareena has a big look of sadness and doubt on her face. Smoke and Cyrax both look disgusted, they always thought of Bi-Han as a good friend. It hearing him say such things such as supporting the Cyber Lin Kuei despite wanting to kill Sektor, and wanting to kill the Shirai Ryu even after learning of the truth.
"As I told Sektor before, I prefer to use my judgment. I will not surrender my free will to him. And I will not submit it to you, Bi-Han." Cyrax stands up.
"On that, I agree." Smoke stands with Cyrax.
"Sareena? What about you? You don't need to die. There is another way." Bi-Han extends his hand to her.
"I'm sorry, Bi-Han. But I'm not going. I'm staying with the true Lin Kuei. I will not be part of a war against the Shirai Ryu, even when they haven't done anything wrong. Please. We can find a solution." Sareena pleads with him.
"You. All of you. You're nothing but clan traitors! All of you! You would turn down a chance to reclaim honor for the Lin Kuei for making peace with the Shirai Ryu scum?! You all disgust me! I'll show you all! I'll take the Lin Kuei for myself and kill all of you! Starting with you, Kuai Liang!" Bi-Han swears.
No one has ever heard Bi-Han like this before. He was never so cold before. Liu Kang, Kung Lao and even Raiden are thrown off by his sudden anger and madness. Bi-Han walks away in disgust. Kuai Liang gets up and walks back to the heroes in shame.
"Li Mei." Shao Kahn summons her. "Explain to me why the Lin Kuei keeps coming to my colosseum when I sent you to intercept them." Shao Kahn said, pissed off at her.
"They were stronger than I thought, my lord. I only—" Li Mei gets cut off.
"Silence! Why I chose to spare you after I took your Sun Do village is beyond me! I thought you'd be useful to me! Even Kitana is more useful than you ever were!" Shao Kahn scolds her. Li Mei looks down with a sad look on her face as she walks away.
"Kitana. Go and make sure there are no more. Check the Tarkatan War Kamp and Living Forest." Shao Kahn orders her.
Kitana nods and she walks away. She secretly feels bad for Li Mei and the way she's being treated. Not only that, she feels bad for what Kuai Liang is gong through.
"Now then. The second day of the tournament is over. Tomorrow will determine the final fate of Earthrealm forever." Shao Kahn said. The guards once more escort the heroes of Earthrealm back to their quarters while once again ordered to make sure they are not to be harmed. They and the Lin Kuei are taken back and are left alone.
"My friends. Forgive me." Kuai Liang said.
"Liang. This isn't your fault. You chose to do the right thing." Cyrax tells him.
"None of us knew the truth about Scorpion and Sektor. Sektor will pay for what he did. To us. To Scorpion. To our honor." Smoke said.
"You're not alone anymore, Kuai Liang. We can help you. Make peace with the Shirai Ryu. Stop Sektor and Bi-Han. Stop your brother's madness." Sareena said.
"Thank you everyone. I appreciate your support. We need to stop them before something happens. If Bi-Han were to become the leader of the Cyber Lin Kuei, it'll only bring more destruction." Kuai Liang said.
"Kuai Liang." Fire God Liu Kang said to him. "Forgive me. I did not know this would happen to you and your brother. My visions do not always come. But now I see something. Only you can decide your brother's fate. And you cannot face them alone. I believe in second chances. Your brother deserves one."
"I understand, Liu Kang. Though I do not like it, I may have to face Bi-Han again and not hold back on anything. I must do what I must for the Lin Kuei. And for Earthrealm." Kuai Liang said.
"You deserve the mantle of Sub-Zero." Smoke said.
"No. Not yet. My powers are as formidable as his, but only one can be Sub-Zero. He will surrender it, or he will die." Kuai Liang said.
"But the Cyber Lin Kuei. Sektor. We don't know where they are." Cyrax said.
"I think I can help." Sonya said, gaining their attention. "I overheard Sektor and Shang Tsung saying that they're planning to rendezvous with Kano and the Black Dragon. I placed trackers on the bastard's weapons."
"Helpful. But we may expect heavy numbers of cyborgs and Black Dragon members." Kuai Liang said.
"Not to worry. I got some people I can call to help out. We can intercept the assholes before they could launch an invasion. We can bear those fuckers until the blood and meat show." Jax smirks.
"Me, Jax and Johnny can leave with y'all at 0600 hours." Sonya said. The Lin Kuei are all in agreement. Meanwhile, Liu Kang talks to the others.
"Lord Liu Kang. Scorpion teleported away just as you asked him to. When do you enact the next phase of the plan?" Kung Lao asked.
"When the final day starts. Kitana will play her part. She must restore Jade's and Kotal's memories." Liu Kang replied.
"If I recall, Kotal was locked up in the flesh pits for Shang Tsung's experiments. And where Mileena was created." Raiden point out.
"Kitana was able to sneak past them before. She can do it again." Liu Kang said with confidence.
"And what of Scorpion and Sindel?" Nightwolf asked.
"Me and Fujin will restore them in time. We will surprise Shao Kahn. We have studied the right magic and with the Earthrealm Jinsei, it should be effective in both of them." Liu Kang said.
"Just as I have resurrected Sindel before and cured her of her revenant status." Raiden recalls.
"For now, may you all rest. Tomorrow is the final day." Liu Kang said to everyone. They all leave except for Kung Lao.
"Lord Liu Kang. I must thank you." Kung Lao said.
"There is nothing to thank me for, Kung Lao. I am honored to be your teacher." Liu Kang said.
"And I'm your student. You changed me for the better. I could never ask for a better friend, brother in arms and master. Thank you. For being all those to me. And to my ancestor, the Great Kung Lao. You changed his fate for the better. I owe you my life and respect, Lord Liu Kang." Kung Lao bows his head to his master. Liu Kang does the same back and they both give each other a friendly smile. Kung Lao turns in for the night while Liu Kang looks outside, smiling at the progress they are making.
Note: So many fights. Writing these just becomes more fun as time goes. I thought Jax deserved to get some sweet revenge on Ermac for taking his arms. And adding more villain wins in the process. My favorite fight in this chapter was honestly Sonya vs Kitana. I hope you guys liked it too. And also, I have big plans for Kitana in the future, and I am aware of Edenia's existence. Which MK11 failed to mention in its story for whatever reason. Only in intros. And hope you liked the part with Sub-Zero and his brother Bi-Han. Until next time.