The Ketsueki Quadrilogy: Majin Seiryu Ki

by iceangelmkx

Part 3 of the Quadrilogy. Earth is at war, and the awakening of a legendary demon is imminent. The chosen ones unite once more at a new tournament in hopes of stopping their enemies... and one of their own. A Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Soulcalibur, and Tekken Crossover.

40. Chapter Thirty Nine

A/N: To GlaringEyes - Ever since I read your review, I've been kicking myself over the missed opportunity for Blanka to give Maxi a bad hair day! XD

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Chapter Thirty-Nine

Mishima Zaibatsu Headquarters

Heading up to Jin Kazama's office early in the morning, Nina Williams was expecting the usual routine; meet with Jin in his office, go over the day's plan, and get through the rest of the day.

What she didn't expect was that - as soon as she stepped off the private elevator only she, Jin, and Eddy used - Nina would also find herself nearly running into both Kano and Doctrine Dark, both who stepped off the elevator the rest of headquarters used at about the same time she did. All three of them made the short walk to the doors that led to Jin's large office. On either side of the heavy double doors were two Tekken Force soldiers dressed in full gear, their faces concealed by their helmets.

"Go on in," one of the guards said, his words spoken through a built-in microphone. "He's expecting all three of you."

It was only then that Kano spotted Nina and he gave her a sly grin. The assassin couldn't decide if she wanted to wipe it off his face by punching him, or shoot him in the face right then and there. From day one, Nina found Kano repulsive to say the least. At least his tag team partner had some semblance of dignity, which wasn't saying much considering Doctrine Dark's level of insanity.

At least they were useful to Jin's cause. For the moment.

The only thing she questioned was why the two of them were here so early in the morning. Usually, Jin didn't call upon anyone else for any reason until later in the day.

Kano stepped back a bit and gestured a hand towards the door. "After you, love," he said almost too politely. Nina rolled her eyes, but decided to oblige Kano for the time being. Personally, she didn't have the time or the patience to play any games with him, especially since her morning coffee hadn't kicked in yet.

Once they were past the doors, the three of them walked towards the back of the large room where Jin's desk was located. Jin was there, but there was something else that was unusual to Nina. Instead of being behind his desk, he stood in front of it.

Something was definitely up.

As soon as the trio was close, Jin made eye contact with Nina and tilted his head to his left. Nina followed his silent orders and stepped to the side of his desk before she turned to face the room, more specifically towards Jin, Kano, and Doctrine Dark. Jin took a few steps forward, but left some space between himself and the two men.

"You called us this morning, boss?" Kano questioned. "And here I thought you weren't a mornin' person. Neither am I to-"

"Save it," Jin growled, quickly halting the Australian criminal mid-sentence. "Let's cut to the chase. I called you both here because there's a serious matter that needs to be discussed. A… reminder, if you will."

Kano looked annoyed as he folded his arms in front of his chest. "So a lil' lecture, eh? Fine then. Just say your peace and we'll be on our merry way."

Nina barely shook her head at that. How is this idiot still alive with that mouth? she thought to herself.

Quietly and with no emotion on his face, Jin stepped a couple of feet closer to the duo and took a moment to look between them. Nina saw that Kano looked bored and wanted to get whatever Jin had in mind over with and go about his day.

Then, the Mishima Zaibatsu CEO turned his full attention to Doctrine Dark.

Jin moved towards him so fast that by the time Nina realized it, Doctrine Dark flew ten feet across the room from a back hand Jin delivered across his face. The hit was so hard that the sound it emitted not only echoed around the room, but Nina nearly expected the man's breathing mask to break into pieces. Doctrine Dark barely hit the floor back first before Jin was swiftly upon him again. Before anyone knew it, Jin grabbed Doctrine Dark's throat, lifted him up off the ground, and began to choke him with one hand.

Nina saw Jin's changed face in that moment; pure anger and rage in full view of the masked mercenary. He also bared his teeth in a way that was nearly inhuman and animalistic. At the same time, red electricity surrounded Jin's arm, the one connected to the hand that was draining Doctrine Dark's life.

Nina wasn't usually unsettled easily. But even she couldn't help the hair that stood up at the back of her neck no matter how indifferent she tried to act.

Nina almost expected Kano to step in and save his friend. Instead, the criminal looked on, perhaps surprised by what he was seeing. It was hard to tell, really. To be fair though, Nina was caught by surprise, too. Jin was stern when it came to business matters, but she never saw him lose his cool, not even back when they were both Chosen Ones.

Clearly whatever the mercenary did was an exception.

"What… the hell-" Doctrine Dark tried to choke out.

"You nearly killed your opponent in your match yesterday!" Jin shouted through gritted teeth. "If she had died because of you, you would've been disqualified from the tournament! It doesn't matter that I'm the host or that you ultimately won the match, you still nearly cost the Zaibatsu a win! Pull that stunt again and I will shatter your mask, smash you through a nearby window, and have you fall to your death while you suffocate for air. Is. That. Understood?!"

"Y-… yes!"

Satisfied with that answer, Jin dropped Doctrine Dark to the ground like he was nothing more than a rag doll. The man fell onto his side while he gasped and coughed for air. Still, he managed to use his remaining strength - and what dignity he had left - to get back on his feet.

The red electricity around his arm stopped as Jin turned his back to the duo. "You're both dismissed. Return to your assignments. It would be best if you steered clear of this room and myself for the remainder of the day. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Kano grumbled.

"Thanks for the help, asshole!" Doctrine Dark growled at Kano. While still coughing, he began to storm out of the room.

"Hey, sorry about that, mate!" Kano called out as he followed his tag team partner. "Shock, ya know? I'll steal a beer for you later. Trust me!"

And just like that, the two men left the office and it was all over. Jin adjusted his shirt collar and brushed a few strands of his black hair back into place before he slowly moved to return to his chair behind his desk. Then, it was as though the last few minutes didn't happen at all.

To anyone else who observed what transpired, it was a matter of making sure that Doctrine Dark's mistake didn't happen again. If the Mishima Zaibatsu was going to win this tournament, they needed as many teams as possible to advance. It couldn't be jeopardized no matter what.

But Nina knew that wasn't the only reason for Jin's rare outburst. As soon as he stated his reason to Doctrine Dark, it all quickly made sense in her head.

Nina was there at the Blood Tournament two years ago as one of the Chosen Ones. As much as she kept to herself and as much as she tried to ignore the happenings of the other Chosen Ones, hearing about even the most mundane moments couldn't be ignored. She was going to overhear about it - or walk into something - no matter how hard she tried to avoid it.

Jin's own journey in the last two years was well known. Not only did he, as a Chosen One, make it the farthest into the Blood Tournament including the final round, but he was also one of The Four who saw to the end of the Universal War. These days, he was the host of a new tournament with many fighting to go after him for the war he instigated over three months ago.

That was the professional stuff. However, Jin's personal journey during the last two years was a different matter…

Doctrine Dark, as Jin mentioned, nearly killed his opponent yesterday. And that opponent just happened to be Cammy White - the woman Jin was intimate with during the Blood Tournament.

Jin and Cammy's time together was brief. There was even a rumor that they nearly got back together during the Universal War, but they instead chose to move on for unknown reasons. However, based on what she witnessed a few moments ago, Nina realized that Jin - after all this time - still cared deeply for Cammy…

---

G-Corp Headquarters, Nepal

Bruce Irvin had a big smirk on his face as he entered Kazuya's office. He did look around briefly to make sure no one else was in the room except the two of them. He wasn't surprised when Kazuya gave him an indifferent gaze. "What is it?" the CEO asked almost boredly.

Bruce lifted a hand and placed a flash drive on top of Kazuya's desk. "I got it," the second-in-command announced. "Information on a… particular participant in this tournament."

As vague as Bruce was, Kazuya had an inkling as to what this was all about. It had been a few days since Kazuya asked his XO to search for those who may be one of The Four based on their description. Kazuya promptly grabbed the flash drive and placed it into his laptop. As he did it, Bruce went around his desk to look at the laptop's screen.

It didn't take long for the files to upload. Kazuya was immediately met with a picture of a man that was meant for an ID pass. The red blindfold over the man's eyes gave the G-Corp CEO the ultimate clue as to who this could potentially be.

"Takahashi Kenshi," Kazuya read from the file. "One of The Four?"

Bruce's smirk grew wider. "I doubt there are many sword wielders out there who wear red blindfolds over their eyes. As you can probably guess, he's currently in the competition and staying as a guest in the Mishima Hotel in one of their suites. His tag team partner is an unknown entity named Ermac. I thought I heard the name before when I was doing those interviews with the Outworld Forces, so I asked my tag team partner Kira about it. Turns out… Ermac once served under Shao Kahn - the last Emperor of Outworld."

A side smirk came over Kazuya's face. "Hrm… then there is no doubt. Takahashi is indeed one of The Four. What else did you find out about him?"

"I'll give you a quick run down on the file I personally put together to save you time," Bruce replied. He reached a hand out to the laptop's touch screen and scrolled through what turned out to be a very short file.

"As you can unfortunately see," the XO started. "There isn't much information on him. It says he was born in Japan, but there's no other information on his past. No family, no school records, no birth records except an actual birthdate… nothing else except maybe a six-year-old marriage certificate from Lampang, Thailand that was stamped as annulled, thus ending the marriage. Whether or not it's the same person is currently not confirmed. His DNA is actually on file and even that brought up nothing except his Eurasian heritage. It's almost like he appeared out of nowhere one day."

"How is his DNA on file if there's barely any history on him?" Kazuya questioned.

"That's easy to answer. His records don't even officially appear until about four years ago when he joined Special Forces as a Free Agent for their branch, the Outerworld Investigation Agency, which is now known as Earthrealm Special Forces and run by Colonel Jackson Briggs. He also attended the Blood Tournament in Outworld alongside current Major Sonya Blade and former 2nd Lieutenant Alexandra Walker. All three names I just mentioned are listed as competitors in Kazama's tournament, though Blade and Walker both lost recently as of this morning. On a small note, Walker is actually Kenshi's roommate at the Mishima Hotel, so we can assume that they're… close. Incidentally, Kenshi resigned from the agency not long after returning from Outworld. His official records - aside from what we know from this tournament - stopped from there. That was nearly two years ago."

"Hrm," Kazuya hummed. "I'm sure he has his own history like everyone else. Any other information?"

"Not at this time," Bruce answered. "But I suppose it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. At the end of the day, we now know the identity of three of The Four."

"Indeed," Kazuya agreed. He took a moment to press a few commands on his computer before he shut the files down. Once that was done, he took the flash drive out of his computer and handed it back to his XO. "I just uploaded everything to G-Corp's top highest classified files. Only you and I will ever know this discovery. Make sure your flash drive is completely wiped clean. That is an order."

"Understood," Bruce replied. "I'll get right on it. Anything else?"

"No. You're dismissed."

With that, Bruce made his departure from the office. As soon as the door closed behind him, another side smirk came over the CEO's face as he leaned back into his chair.

As of this moment, Kazuya had no use for what he just learned - that a blind warrior named Kenshi Takahashi was officially identified by him and Bruce as one of The Four alongside Jin and Ivy. If anything, having this information kept Kazuya one step ahead of Quan Chi and his forces.

Only the warrior with the red bandana over his forehead was left to be identified. Only then would The Four be fully known to Kazuya.

---

Water Mill Valley, Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan

With the midday sun nearly at the highest point in the sky, King and Marduk both arrived at their tournament destination. As one of the two drones announced their location, the two fighters gazed at their surroundings. They were on a wooden, circular platform that was stained both brown and green and was halfway up the lush green mountains that overlooked the city of Gifu. The platform was also designed with three toriis - each decorated with a pair of unlit paper lanterns - a light blue nobori-style flag with a red dragon design held up on a red pole, and a set of small steps that led towards a nearby temple, which looked to be closed for the moment. Nearby, the fighters could see a waterfall going down a valley in between two mountains.

"This is a little too pretty for my taste," Marduk admitted with a grumble.

King chuckled a little at his tag team partner's reaction. "And what's wrong with that?" the wrestler asked.

"Something about it doesn't feel right," the Vale Tudo fighter answered. "It's too pristine and too clean. This really shouldn't be a place to fight at all. I can think of a million other places that's a better setting for a fight."

"...You're concerned about potentially destroying this place during the match, aren't you?" King guessed with some amusement in his voice.

"...Shut up."

Once more, King chuckled just as another portal opened nearby. It didn't take long for their opponents to step through. Immediately, one of their opponents was… not what they expected.

"Welcome to the Water Mill Valley in Gifu, Japan, Baraka and Mileena. You may begin the match at any time."

"What the-" King started to say as he noticed Baraka. "A tarkatan?! I knew Outworlders were involved in this folly, but I didn't think one would be in this tournament."

However, Marduk wasn't paying any attention to what King was saying. Instead, his attention was on the woman who stood a few feet away. Mileena's black and magenta outfit - a one-piece swimsuit-like attire with knee-high boots, a pair of gloves and two black bands on each arm, and mask that covered the lower half of her face - showed off her curves in all the right places in Marduk's eyes.

King noticed his tag team partner's wandering eyes and shook his head. "Dios mio, no otra vez.…" he grumbled under his breath.

Mileena, of course, noticed Marduk's staring as well as the sly grin that slowly came over his face. Deciding at that moment to take advantage of the situation, Mileena placed one hand on her waist and cocked her hip to one side. "You like what you're seeing?" she asked him alluringly.

"Heck yeah," Marduk admitted as he grinned more at her.

King noticed, with some amusement, Baraka rolling his eyes at the display as he took a few steps back. King then tilted his head a little as he realized that there was something oddly familiar about Mileena, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was at that moment. He also noticed something else about Mileena - mainly her eyes that reminded him of a cat - and they looked very similar to that of her tarkatan tag team partner.

He started to realize exactly why she wore a mask over the lower half of her face.

"Eh, Marduk," King began to warn his tag team partner. "Word of advice - looks can be deceiving."

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Marduk mumbled as he shooed King away with one hand. Clearly, he wasn't paying any mind to what King was saying as he met Mileena halfway on the platform they were going to fight on.

"Come closer," Mileena beckoned as she waved a finger to Marduk.

Marduk immediately got into a fighting stance. "After I win this match, you definitely need to get with me. Don't worry, I'll buy you dinner first."

"Don't make me cut off your head, human!" Baraka warned with a growl. At the same time, King shook his head over the whole ordeal he was witnessing.

Mileena ignored Baraka as she got herself in a fighting stance and glared at Marduk. "Now… let us dance."

"With pleasure," Marduk replied - right before Mileena launched herself forward with a battle cry. As soon as she was close, she tucked herself into a ball and quickly rolled forward in an attempt to trip her opponent.

However, Marduk noticed this and quickly jumped over her. As he turned back around to face her, Mileena got herself back on her feet and turned to glare at him. From there, the two ran towards each other until they were within reach. Marduk threw the first punch, which forced Mileena to block. With a growl, the Vale Tudo fighter shoved his opponent back and forced her to stumble away.

Marduk promptly clasped both of his fists together before he covered the space between himself and Mileena before he unleashed an uppercut. However, Mileena was able to back away before it connected underneath her chin. Still, Marduk didn't hesitate to move in further and land a few punches on her torso before he grabbed her around the waist, lifted her up almost above his head, and slammed her down against the platform.

Mileena let out a pained scream after that landing. Marduk then straightened himself up and attempted an elbow drop, but Mileena rolled away and forced her opponent to crash against the ground. As Marduk rotated onto his back, Mileena promptly used her speed to spin back towards him. She didn't hesitate as she threw one leg over Marduk's waist and sat right on his stomach before she glared down at him with amusing eyes.

"Heh," Marduk started as his sly grin returned to his face. "I wasn't expecting you to be so feisty in this fight."

That was when Mileena reached for the edge of her mask and promptly pulled it down to reveal her tarkatan teeth. "I bet you weren't expecting this either."

As soon as he saw Mileena's teeth, it didn't surprise King whatsoever when Marduk's eyes went wide before he let out a seemingly inhumane shriek of terror that rivaled that of a banshee. Even as Marduk screamed, Mileena could still be heard laughing before she unleashed a vicious growl… right before she opened her mouth and quickly lowered her head towards Marduk's shoulder.

Marduk just barely registered what Mileena was about to do before he swiftly shoved her off of him before she had the chance to bite his shoulder. He then rolled back about a yard or two before he promptly got back on his feet. By then, Mileena had done the same.

"You're insane!" Marduk shouted.

"Aww, too bad," Mileena teased with a small chuckle as she walked towards him. "I was hoping to have a new playmate after this match."

"Yeah, that ain't happening! …And, eh, not because of the teeth either!" Marduk shouted with anger.

"Uh huh…" King mumbled under his breath.

With another yell, Mileena flew back towards Marduk, who was ready for him. She threw a handful of punches and kicks at Marduk, who blocked and parried the maneuvers. There were a couple of times where her kicks landed on Marduk's torso, but they barely phased him - at least for the moment.

During that, the five minute timer went off - and King wasn't surprised whatsoever when Baraka literally jumped into the fray. In mid-air, Baraka shot out a light blue projectile towards King, who promptly ran out of the way. The projectile ended up smashing into the ground instead and left behind a few fresh scorch marks.

"Two on two battle initiated by Team Baraka and Mileena," one of the drones called out.

By then, Baraka landed on his feet and promptly lashed his blades at King from various directions. That forced the wrestler to back and duck away from the weapons before they turned him into ribbons. At one point, Baraka stepped in close and spun himself rapidly with his arms out from either side of him. Once more, King had no choice but to put distance between himself and his opponent.

To King's luck, when Baraka stopped spinning, his back was turned towards him. King swiftly took the opportunity by closing in on the tarkatan and delivering a forward kick to his lower back. Baraka shouted out with surprise as he flew a couple of feet forward and landed face first onto the wooden platform. King then ran forward and jumped with the intention of landing the back of his leg on Baraka's head, but the tarkatan rolled out of the way and returned to his feet. King had no choice but to somewhat land awkwardly, though it didn't take him too long to recover.

By the time King was standing, Baraka was upon him and swiped his blades a few times. The tip of one blade did catch King just below his collarbone, which caused him to hiss as the cut began to bleed. He forced himself to ignore it as he ducked underneath another swipe - which left Baraka wide open.

Swiftly, King moved in and landed a backhand hard against the middle of the tarkatan's chest, which caused him to gasp with pain. As Baraka stood there stunned, King grabbed him, lifted him up, then tossed him away a few feet like he was a rag doll.

Despite the pain in his body, Baraka rolled forward and got on his knees before he performed an up-down motion with both of his blades, which King managed to evade. King then moved behind him just as Baraka began to stand once more, and the wrestler grabbed his head before he spun them both in a way so that King's back was to Baraka's chest. He then locked the tarkatan's head with both arms before he let himself drop to the ground and took his opponent with him. As soon as they landed, Baraka howled as his jaw felt like it was smashed in by a heavy hammer. It wasn't too long before the wrestler let him go and let him drop face first on the platform.

King then gazed at a nearby drone and pointed a finger towards the sky and unleashed a leopard growl - his signature sign that he was about to finish the match…

Meanwhile, Marduk was forced to jump back as Mileena suddenly pulled out a pair of sais and began to lash at him. She shouted with anger with each lash, an indicator to Marduk that she was starting to lose her cool. Still, he didn't want to risk getting his gut sliced open and quickly back away a few feet in order to give himself some berth.

"Damn!" Marduk yelled out at her.. "Those things must be just as sharp as your crazy teeth!"

"And you're a despicable and hideous oaf!" Mileena screamed with rage. "If this wasn't a no-kill tournament, I'd have long since roasted you, stripped the flesh from your bones, and fed you to the Tarkata Militia!"

Before Marduk had the chance to retort, Mileena quickly threw her sais forward. Marduk was able to dodge away from one, but he ended up taking the wrong step and ended up in the path of the second sai. That sai managed to leave a deep cut on his left bicep.

"SHIT!" Marduk shouted as the sai's sting hit him. He stopped to check his arm momentarily. The cut was bleeding, but it wasn't enough to leave behind a scar - at least he didn't think so.

Marduk just happened to gaze up just in time to see Mileena's surrounded in a pink aura before she quickly sunk right through it like it was a deep watering hole. The same aura reappeared above where she previously stood, and it was barely a second before Mileena went through with the intention of delivering a downward diagonal kick to her opponent's face.

By sheer luck, Marduk managed to grab Mileena by the ankle before her foot connected to his face. "WHAT?!" she screamed with rage as she was forced to arch back thanks to sudden gravity.

"Nighty night, sister," Marduk said - right before he tossed Mileena in the air, jumped up, grabbed her, and performed a power bomb that promptly knocked the Outworld rebel unconscious.

At the same time, King walked over to Baraka, grabbed the back of his knees, lifted him up, and swung around a few times before he let the tarkatan go. Baraka shouted as he flew across the platform until the back of his head hit hard against the nobori pole. Baraka's screams stopped immediately after that as his limp body flew a few more feet before he landed hard near the front door of the temple.

King expected Baraka to get up after that, but it was clear after a few seconds that it wouldn't be the case.

"Knockouts detected. King and Marduk win the match!"

After that announcement, King immediately turned his head to Marduk. "I told you looks can be deceiving!"

Marduk rolled his eyes. "Says the one wearing a mask," he grumbled. He then eyed his tag team partner suspiciously. "I seriously hope you actually don't look like one of them."

King chuckled. "I promise you, I have a normal Earthrealmer's face underneath this mask."

"Good. Because I've already had enough surprises for one day."

---

Mishima Hotel - West-Facing Side

A knock at the door disrupted Sub-Zero's meditation. Normally, he would simply ignore it, especially since he wasn't expecting anyone to show up. However, he quickly recognized the particular knocking style only reserved for himself, Sareena, and Smoke. And since Sareena was in the shower at the moment…

Sub-Zero took a deep breath before he forced himself to get on his feet. He then walked over to the door and looked through the peephole to confirm that it was indeed his old friend. He then unlocked the door's bolt before he opened it.

"Is Sareena around?" Smoke quickly asked.

"She is," Sub-Zero answered. "But she's in the shower at the moment."

"Good," Smoke said as he pushed himself through the door. "Because I do not want her to hear what I'm about to discuss with you. Not yet at least."

Sub-Zero gave the cyborg a perplexed look. "What's going on?" he questioned.

Smoke shook his head before he replied. "It's about Shura. We… have a problem."

"...I hate to know exactly what this problem is."

"Well, I'm confident that it won't affect Sareena's partnership with her when it comes to the tournament itself," Smoke explained. "But if there was any chance of Shura being a Chosen One, we can all kiss that idea goodbye."

Sub-Zero then recalled a previous conversation they had when they first met Shura - about how she followed her assignment from Keisei. "...Her target is one of our Keiseian allies, isn't it?"

"That's what I was thinking at first, too, even though we didn't have proof," Smoke mentioned. "But then I thought, hey, maybe she followed a Keiseian who just happens to have no association with us. I, eh… got her to finally tell me two nights ago. It didn't make sense at first, but then I talked to Kilik and Maxi before their match yesterday to get a little information."

Smoke took a deep breath before he chose that moment to drop the bomb. "I was reminded by them that our old friend Ashrah came here by way of Keisei. And as you know, she spent the Universal War slaying the demons that hid in the shadows in that realm."

A brief look of shock came over Sub-Zero's face. He then shook his head before he remembered something else. "Didn't Shura herself say that her target came through a deity portal on her own? And that she was alone?"

"Maybe she did, and maybe Shura thinks she's alone," Smoke guessed. "And Fujin did guide her and the Keiseians to here, so that part makes sense."

"How did you manage to get Shura to tell you who her target is?" the ice warrior suddenly asked.

Smoke suddenly froze momentarily over the question. He then nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Shura and I met up for dinner the other night. Then we went back to my room and…" He chose to let that last sentence hang.

"...Smoke, you didn't…" Sub-Zero grumbled as he put the puzzles together in his head… much to his dismay.

"What?! It's been a long time for me! You can't blame me for taking an opportunity when it calls for it."

"Ugh, forget it!" Sub-Zero groaned as he started to pace the room. "That shouldn't matter right now. What matters is that Ashrah's in danger of being assassinated. What else did you find out?"

"Shura did admit that she plans to take her time," Smoke confirmed. "Yesterday , I used my stealth skills and followed her around the island, but she just seemed to go about like a typical vacationer. That's why I didn't say anything until this morning. Ashrah is safe for now, but that could change the closer we are to the end of the tournament."

"Dammit," the ice warrior cursed. He took a deep breath before he spoke calmly to his second-in-command. "Okay… this one's important. Does Shura know that we know Ashrah?"

"Definitely not," Smoke answered. "And trust me, I hid my shock well when she revealed it."

"Good," Sub-Zero said. "And… have you told Ashrah yet?"

"Not yet. I figured it was best if you and I head up the hill and speak to Liu Kang first. Between Shura's assignment and our association with Ashrah, I think it's best to see what Liu Kang suggests we do."

"That's a good idea," Sub-Zero agreed. "Let me get into regular clothes first, then I'll tell Sareena that you and I are heading out for a late breakfast and training. Otherwise, we have no more time to waste."

"Agreed."

---

Mishima Hotel - East-Facing Side

Alex Walker was sitting at the dining room table when a knock was heard at the door. "Coming!" she called out as she stood up from her chair. She only had to take a few steps towards the door before she reached it. She then raised the heels of her feet in order to see through the door's peephole.

Alex immediately recognized Julia Chang's face on the other side - and she also noticed two other people with her. From there, the former agent promptly unlocked the door's bolt as well as the chain lock before she pulled it open.

"Hey Julia," Alex greeted.

"Hey there," Julia responded cheerfully. She then held up a tote bag she had in her hand. "I figured we'd have some snacks and drinks while they have their meeting. There should be this local game show coming on TV right about now that I've been intrigued by since I discovered it a few days back."

"Sounds like fun," Alex said with a smile. She then looked past Julia's shoulder and spotted her friend's significant other. "Hey Ryu."

"Hi Alex," Ryu greeted. "How are you?"

"Not bad, all things considered. And you?"

"Very well," the shotokan warrior replied with a simple nod.

Alex then went straight to the point of their arrival. "Kenshi's at the balcony straight ahead and through the bedroom. He's waiting for you and…" That was when Alex noticed the third person who stood behind Ryu - Ivy Valentine. "Hi."

"Hello," Ivy replied, her voice neutral.

Alex stared at the Keiseian for another moment before she opened the door wider to let the trio in. "Actually, um… Julia, go ahead and get everything set up at the coffee table. I'll escort Ryu and Ivy to the balcony."

"Sounds good," Julia said as she, Ryu and Ivy walked into the suite.

Alex looked at both Ryu and Ivy right after she closed the door. "Follow me," she said before she turned around and walked forward towards the master bedroom. As soon as the three of them were inside, the former agent shut the sliding wooden door that served as a barrier between the bedroom and the rest of the suite she shared with Kenshi.

"Ryu," Alex started. "Go ahead out to the balcony. And, eh… close the door behind you."

Ryu simply nodded at Alex, gazed at Ivy for a moment, then headed to the balcony where Kenshi waited.

As soon as the glass door closed shut, Ivy turned her attention to the younger woman, her stare neutral. "I assume you want to say your peace."

"I do, and I'll make it as brief as possible," Alex confirmed. She rubbed the back of her own neck with her hand and didn't quite look the swordswoman in the eye as she spoke. "I don't understand this whole thing with whatever this Soul Edge is that runs through you. What I do know for certain is that I believed you when you said that you wanted to atone."

Alex then dropped her arm to her side before she fully looked Ivy in the eye. "The fact that you're here on Earthrealm to help us speaks for itself. I support you in your journey, and… I owe you more than a thank you for indirectly saving my life two years ago. If it weren't for you, Kenshi would've never found me under that monster's grasp in Shao Kahn's dungeon."

Those last two sentences made Ivy's eyes widened a bit with some surprise. "So you're Alex. I should've known but… when Kenshi rescued you, I knew you two were at least friends because that's exactly what he said that day. I should've figured it out before from our conversations after we defeated Shao Kahn, but… seeing that you're both sharing a one-bedroom suite, it's clear to me that you two share more than friendship. Do you mind if I ask how you two met?"

"Not at all. We met a few years back when we both served on the same military team," Alex explained. "I was an officer, he was a volunteer free agent. And that day in the dungeon, we were still friends at the time. Believe it or not, the event… kind of made us both realize how much we cared about each other.

"I admit, I was initially going to leave during your meeting, but I figured it was about time you and I met one on one. I thought maybe with everything - and the mixed reaction you got at the last Chosen Ones meeting - it might've been good if you knew of at least one direct show of support. If you didn't already, I mean."

Ivy nodded at her. "I've heard a couple of them, but I still appreciate your words. And I'm sorry… for whatever trauma you had to endure."

Alex nodded solemnly at that. "Thanks…" She then quickly shook her head and gestured a hand to the balcony door. "Well, you should go meet with them. I'm already aware of part of what you three will discuss, but I'm sure the rest of the conversation will be very interesting."

With that, Alex headed back out to the living room area and closed the wooden door behind her. With a deep breath, Ivy then walked over to the glass door, opened it, and stepped outside.

"Had a good talk?" Kenshi inquired as soon as the door closed behind her.

"...We did, actually," Ivy admitted as she sat down at the last available chair. A side smirk came over her face. "I'm not sure if you're aware of this - lack of sight on your part and all - but in case you don't, you should know that Alex is a very pretty woman."

Kenshi smirked in response. "I don't need my sight to know that."

"You said you had something important to discuss," said Ryu as he looked at the swordsman. "Something you preferred to talk about between the three of us for the moment."

"I do," Kenshi sighed. He took a moment to sip some water from a bottle before he placed it down on the table and turned his head to Ryu. "It's about what you and I witnessed during our fight against Shao Kahn. Something that happened that you and I… didn't really discuss with everything that happened afterwards."

"I assume whatever this is about, it happened before my arrival that morning," Ivy guessed.

"That's correct," Kenshi answered. "But aside from you being one of The Four, I thought maybe you might be able to provide some insight - specifically during your Blood Tournament match against Jin."

"So… this is about Jin," Ryu guessed.

The swordsman nodded as he leaned forward in his chair. Despite his blindfold, he seemed to stare right at the shotokan warrior. "During the fight, Jin seemed to have gone through some kind of… transformation. He also unleashed this aura - it was dark, but not quite sinister, like it was being suppressed by something. Do you remember that?"

Ryu's eyes went wide as he began to recall that morning. "I… never let myself think about it after that morning. I remember it, but I initially thought it was just… something that he never used around us until that day."

"But then why have we never noticed him unleashing those powers before? If it was something he could've used to his advantage, why didn't he use it from the start, or at least when things got desperate? If I had to guess, it's something he can't control."

"Or it's so corrupt that using it would have severe consequences for him," Ivy guessed.

Something suddenly crossed Ryu's mind - something he hadn't thought about in almost a year. "I wonder if it's similar to the Satsui no Hadou…"

Ivy furrowed her eyebrows with confusion. "The what?"

"The Satsui no Hadou," Ryu repeated. "Or 'Dark Hadou' for short. It literally translates to 'Surge of Murderous Intent.' It's a dark energy-based aura that has the potential to affect the users of some martial arts styles that were made to kill. My fighting style, Ansatsuken, is one of them. There are those out there who embrace its teachings and become powerful… but at the cost of their humanity. Those like my Master Gouken turned their backs on it and did their best to teach a better way."

Ryu took a deep breath as he gazed out towards the island beyond the balcony, the sounds of downtown only slightly audible. "It's something I… struggled with for some time. Had it not been for my master's teachings, I likely would've fell into its grasp a long time ago. It was… also him, despite being long dead, who quelled it from my soul once and for all."

"How so?" asked Kenshi.

The Ansatsuken warrior rubbed the back of his neck before he replied. "It's gonna sound crazy, but… my master's spirit came to me during a battle I was in right before we took our fight to Shao Kahn. I know many souls were enslaved during the war, but Master Gouken managed to somehow evade them. He used his energy to suppress the Dark Hadou within me. It's called the Power of Nothingness. It's basically the opposite of the Dark Hadou and those who possess pure minds, good hearts, and compassion are able to harness it. I've been working on harnessing it properly ever since."

"That sounds no less crazy than wielding a sword that speaks to me through my mind," Kenshi mentioned. "That same sword also happens to contain the souls of my ancestors. But I do admit that the Power of Nothingness sounds very intriguing."

Ivy shook her head after that as she turned her attention to Ryu. "Between ours and Jin's curses, we're definitely a very complicated small group." She then looked at the swordsman. "Do you have a curse, too?"

"You mean aside from the way I lost my sight due to a deranged and greedy lunatic of a sorcerer?" Kenshi answered. There was a mix of humor and sarcasm in those words. "No, not really."

Ivy narrowed her eyes at him. "Lucky bastard."

"So back to Jin," Ryu started. "I also remember that he formed a set of black feathered wings that spread out wide. They were each as big as he was."

Ivy shifted her eyes between the two men. "Okay, now I'm finding this unbelievable."

"But it's true," Kenshi confirmed. "And he not only flew, but he also shot out a laser from his head… which sounds even more unbelievable now that I'm saying it out loud. As far as I know, I've never witnessed him do that up until that point."

"And," Ryu began to add. "He had these tattoos on his face and chest. They just… appeared out of nowhere. And his eyes - they were glowing like he was possessed somehow. Whatever he was going through, it gave him the strength to actually fight against Shao Kahn on his own for a short time - more than we could before Ano Sentaku Bou took effect."

"Okay," Ivy huffed as she began to rub her temples with her fingers. "This is all… interesting and everything, but I have to ask. Kenshi… what's the purpose of bringing this all up, especially now?"

Kenshi answered that with his own question. "It's a big if, but whatever this aura Jin has that made him transform like that… what if it played a big part in his decision to plunge Earthrealm into war?"

Ivy raised a brow at that inquiry. "You mean like what the essence of Soul Edge within me did?"

"Maybe. Or maybe it's something different from that. It would be hard to speculate at this point without more information. Or one of us getting close to Jin. At the end of day, that aura could very well be the reason there's a war going on as we speak."

"If that's the case," Ryu started. "Then it would absolutely explain why Jin turned his back against everything he believed in and fought for." He then turned his head to the Keiseian. "Did you notice anything unusual during your match fight against Jin in Outworld?"

Since their meeting started, Ivy tried all she could to remember if anything unusual happened during her Blood Tournament match against Jin nearly two years ago.

All except one moment.

"During my match against Jin," Ivy started. "Nothing out of the ordinary occurred. It was a normal match with, obviously, very high stakes. However, I did notice something unusual while I watched Jin's match against Siegfried two days before. At first, there was a heavy dark aura that came over me, and it wasn't hard to notice the two men struggling with something. They had this subtle terror on their faces and they both clutched at their chest as though they were trying to contain something within. With Siegfried, I realized now that it was his curse - the curse of the Azure Knight, as he explained that night when we were in Edenia."

"With Jin, was the aura in any way similar to Siegfried's?" Ryu asked.

Ivy shook her head. "It's hard to say. It's been two years since it happened, so the finer details of that day are likely lost from my memories. All it did was piqued my interest at the time and nothing more. Now with this conversation, I'm starting to wonder…"

"Well in any case," Kenshi started. "I think the best course of action at this point is to explain all of this to Liu Kang and Zafina. It may not hold merit now, but it may later down the road. The more we're prepared, the better off we'll be."

"Maybe we could also talk to Siegfried. But then again, there's a chance he might not remember anything."

"It wouldn't hurt to try."

Ivy nodded in agreement. "Perhaps. But if anything, and after this conversation, it would be nice if it turns out we're one step closer in figuring out why the hell Jin is doing what he's doing."

"And stop his war from unleashing Azazel," Kenshi added.

"You know who we can also talk to?" Ryu started. "Cammy. She might know something we don't as well, considering…" He let that sentence hang.

"Considering what?" Ivy asked with confusion.

"Jin and Cammy were… close - during the Blood Tournament," the swordsman explained. "It actually wouldn't hurt to talk to her, but I doubt she has any insight."

"They broke up not long after we returned to Earthrealm after the tournament," Ryu added for Ivy. "Julia and some others thought the two would get back together during the war, but… that just turned out to be a simple rumor, as I'm sure you figured out."

"So let's just set up a meeting between the three of us and the leaders, plus Siegfried and Cammy," Ivy suggested. "At the end of the day, this may either be all for nothing more than speculation, or it holds merit in the long run."

Kenshi sighed. "Here's hoping for the latter. At least then, we'll have our answers."

---

Mishima Hotel - Gym

With their match scheduled within the next couple of days, the tag team duo - Sagat and Feng Wei - decided to head down to the hotel's gym to do some training in the late morning. Neither one of them said a word to each other until they reached the gym's door entrance.

"So we'll start with weightlifting for about an hour or two before we head to the Okan Bar and Grill for lunch," Sagat began to suggest. "Then after lunch, we'll head down to the beach and train in our respective katas for another hour. From there, we'll spar until we get hungry enough for dinner. Then after we eat, we'll come back to the beach to meditate before we call it a day."

"We should add endurance training some time after katas and before sparring," Feng Wei suggested.

"What kind of endurance training?" Sagat asked.

"I had this idea involving ceramic plates…"

Sagat, however, didn't hear the rest of what Feng Wei said as something caught his eye. He noticed another person, who was punching at one of the boxing bags with red boxing gloves. The person's back was turned to them and they were wearing the hood attached to their blue hoodie over their head, so Sagat didn't see who it was - at first.

Sagat then happened to look over at the small row of mirrors that were placed on the wall opposite of where he stood, which gave Sagat a view of the hooded person's face - and only then did he recognize them.

"Balrog?"

The boxer unleashed a couple of hard punches to the boxing bag before he turned to see who called his name. His eyes widened just briefly as he recognized the Muay Thai fighter, but his expression was quick to change into one of boredom.

"Huh, Sagat," Balrog huffed. He took a moment to thumb over his nose (even with boxing gloves on, he managed to do it effortlessly) before he continued. "I should've known you weren't dead after all this time."

"The feeling's mutual," Sagat replied coolly. "I'm also not surprised you came out of hiding to fight in a tournament that just so happens to involve a huge cash reward."

"Damn right," Balrog admitted. He turned his back to his former ally before he proceeded to punch at the boxing bag he was training with. "Wasn't about to let the money I had leftover dry up completely."

"Interesting," Sagat said. "Because I recall that, just after Bison's confirmed demise, that idiot who heads the research department was screeching about a lot of money being taken out of Shadaloo's bank account. I always assumed it was you, but I never said a word, not even to Vega when he and I were still working together."

"You still buddies with that prissy boy?" Balrog asked.

"No," Sagat answered. "I cut ties with him a while ago. But regardless, I assume he's with G-Corporation at this point if history is anything to go by."

"Yeah, I ran into him a while back during the first round," Balrog confirmed. "Far as I know, he's doing well for himself. He even got himself a hot woman for a tag team partner."

Sagat knew Balrog was talking about Anna Williams. He was all but there when the two first met in Outworld nearly two years ago. Still, he rolled his eye over the comment before he proceeded. "You know what does surprise me? The fact that you didn't join either warring factions. From what I heard, both the Mishima Zaibatsu and G-Corporation pay pretty well."

"Why should I?" Balrog questioned. "The bounty alone is enough to last me half a lifetime."

"That's only assuming you win this tournament," Sagat pointed out.

"I don't plan to lose. But if I do, well… I'll figure out something." Balrog unleashed a couple of more hard punches on the boxing bag before he took a step back. "I'm outta here. Wouldn't mind meeting up for a beatdown later. I never understood the honor crap you've gone on about, but at least you always kept me on my toes when it came to us fighting against each other. Your friend behind you looks like he could be a challenge, too."

Feng Wei said nothing, but did narrow his eyes a little at the boxer. He was almost tempted to challenge Balrog right then and there, mainly to see him put his money where his mouth was, but the Kenpo warrior decided against it - for the moment. As far as Feng Wei was concerned, Balrog's attitude alone was too easy to take advantage of.

"Otherwise," Balrog continued. "I'm sure I'll see you again at some point before this is all over."

"I have no doubt," Sagat answered simply.

From there, Balrog took his leave. Throughout the whole conversation between him and Sagat, Feng Wei realized in his mind that Sagat's past was indeed dark - just as his was. And at that point in their respective lives, the both of them were on the path of redemption.

---

Mishima Forest

"Sooo you guys are moving on to the fourth round of the tournament," said Xianghua as she, Kilik, and Maxi trekked through the hiking trail of the forest. All three had their respective weapons on them - all with the intention of training before lunch.

"Yes we are," replied Kilik.

"Jealous, Xianghua?" Maxi suddenly pointed out with a sly grin on his face.

Xianghua huffed as she turned her head away from her friend. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Maxi chuckled as he lightly tapped Xianghua's shoulder with his fist. "Hey, you can admit it. We'll understand."

"Maxi…" Kilik said with a hint of warning.

"All right, all right," the nunchuck wielder replied as he raised his hands up in defeat. "But seriously, I'm sure the way to victory is about to get a lot more challenging."

"That's always to be expected in a competition like this."

"Well, as envious as I am," Xianghua said - and she briefly glared at Maxi as though to say, 'don't say I told you so!' - "I really hope you two make it far into the tournament."

"Heck, if any of us Chosen Ones make it, that would be great," Maxi said. "It would be nice to know what the hell Jin's thinking with this war and all."

"Tell me about it," Xianghua agreed with a small frown. "He was so nice when we worked alongside him. And now…"

"And now he's a tyrant," Maxi finished for her. "Maybe not at the same level as Shao Kahn, but what has happened here on Earthrealm really doesn't help his case."

It was at that moment when the two of them realized that Kilik was no longer walking alongside them. The two friends stopped and turned around to see their friend a few yards behind. He was gazing over the horizon and seemingly lost in thought.

"What is it, Kilik?" Xianghua asked softly with a hint of concern.

"I…" Kilik started. He then shook his head a little. "You know what… nevermind."

"Hey, whatever is on your mind, you can share it with us," Maxi encouraged him. "And if you want us to keep it a secret, then our lips are sealed."

"Just don't get yourself drunk for a while," Xianghua teased Maxi. "Because when you are, you talk a lot and are loud. Very loud."

Before Maxi had the chance to retaliate, Kilik began to speak his mind. "I kind of feel alone in this thought, but I can't help but think between Jin's current actions and his past. Yes, he's a tyrant now, but just over a year ago, he was a hero - and one of The Four, in fact."

"True," Maxi answered. "But time can change a person."

"A year really hasn't been that long though," Kilik mentioned. "Which is why I… find it kind of hard to believe that Jin would stoop this low. And so quickly, too."

"...That is what many would call a very unpopular opinion."

"Why do you think that?" Xianghua asked Kilik with some curiosity.

Kilik shook his head. "I can't quite figure it out. It's… it's just this feeling that I have deep in my gut. I mean… how can someone be a hero one moment, then turn their back on everything they fought against in almost an instant? It never made sense to me ever since we learned about it. I admit, I've spent part of our time on Earthrealm meditating over it. Nothing's come to me yet. But then again… something tells me that the answer we're all looking for is more than meets the eye."

"Regardless of his reasons," Maxi stated. "It doesn't excuse him starting a war that affects an entire realm and could potentially spill over to other realms, Keisei included."

"It doesn't," Kilik agreed. "But, I think once we know his motivation behind all of this, the situation will become much clearer."

"And what if the answer is not what we hope it'll be?"

"Then either we'll be left with more questions… or we didn't know Jin as well as we thought."

"I wonder," Xianghua started as something occurred to her in her mind. "What if it turns out to be a similar situation to Ivy? Starting out with one intention, only for it to go completely out of their control."

"Except Ivy was being subtly controlled by the essence of Soul Edge," Maxi reminded her. "Jin is an Earthrealmer who's been to Keisei for no more than a week during the Universal War. Unless Earthrealm has their own version of Soul Edge, I doubt that's the case."

It was at that moment that the Keisei trio reached the top of the island's hill where the torii was located. At the same time, they noted that they weren't alone as someone was up there training. And it wasn't long before they recognized the Edenian, Jade.

Great… Xianghua grumbled in her head.

A few seconds after their arrival, Jade spotted the three of them approaching and she stopped her training exercise to acknowledge them. "Good morning."

"Morning," all three said nearly at once.

"How are you?" Kilik asked.

"Not too bad," Jade replied. "I saw that you and Maxi won your match yesterday. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Maxi answered. "And congratulations as well. I saw that you and Christie are moving forward, too."

"That we are," Jade confirmed. "What brings the three of you up here?"

"Just for some training," Kilik said. "You can join us if you'd like, Jade."

Jade gave Kilik a small smile before she got herself in a fighting stance, her bo staff held in front of her. "I'd like that. We haven't really had the chance to spar since this tournament began, Kilik."

"Agreed," the young man said as he got himself in his own stance. "No time to waste, then."

Maxi kept himself from huffing with some amusement over their exchange. Some things never change.

As Kilik and Jade began to spar, Maxi gazed over at Xianghua. Her face was neutral, but it wasn't hard to notice the longing in those deep brown eyes. It ceased to surprise him ever since they met Jade at the Blood Tournament nearly two years ago.

"So," Maxi began to say. "Want to spar?"

Xianghua shook her head a little before she turned her head to him and grinned. "You know I'm always up for it."

"Great!" he called out as the two of them got into their respective fighting stances. "If you lose, you're buying me lunch."

"And if you lose," Xianghua retaliated. "You're changing your hairstyle."

"Pfft! Dream on!"

For the rest of the morning, the four of them sparred together on the highest point of Mishima Island.

---

Mishima Hotel - Third Floor

A couple of days ago, in between Rounds Two and Three of the tournament, Alisa Bosconovitch was introduced to potential new friends by Cyrax. The initial meeting had been brief, but her new friends invited her to hang out with them in Room 304, which was shared by R. Mika, Sakura, Asuka, and Cassandra. Aside from those four, there was also Elena, Xiaoyu, and - curiously - Xiaoyu's pet Panda. Despite the size of the room, all of them were able to find a place to comfortably sit.

The television in the room was playing a local show, but no one paid attention to what was on as everyone's attention was focused on the newest Chosen One in the group.

"I think I've seen you before," Elena mentioned. "It was a while back when we were at the docks one night during the first round of the tournament. We noticed you and I mentioned how pretty your daisies are."

"And I was mentioning how cool your hair is," said Xiaoyu.

"Don't forget about her hot friend," quipped Cassandra, which made the other girls giggle.

"Hot friend?" Alisa asked with genuine confusion.

"You knooow," started Sakura. "Your friend. The one you were hanging out with. Tall, sandy brown hair that was kinda spikey."

"Oh. You mean Lars?"

"Ooooh is that his name?" asked R. Mika. "I admit, that's not a name I imagined he'd have, but oh well."

"Ugh, I'm getting hungry," grumbled Cassandra out of the blue. "I wonder when Miharu, Makoto, and Leo are going to come back with lunch."

"Hopefully soon," said Sakura. She then quickly changed the subject. "Hey Alisa, how did you find yourself becoming a Chosen One?"

Alisa smiled as she gave them a brief and vague version of the story. "Lars and I met Cyrax's tag team partner, who introduced us to Cyrax and Yoshimitsu. I assume that Liu Kang began to observe us from there. As he said himself, we were worthy enough to join you on your mission."

"What brought you to the tournament to begin with?" asked Asuka.

"Mainly to accompany Lars when he originally had amnesia," Alisa explained. "We just met and he was trying to remember who he was. We figured since we met at a Mishima Zaibatsu facility that was attacked by G-Corporation that he may get the answers he needed. He got that and more; he has since regained his memories."

"So you were willing to go follow someone you just met to a tournament at the time?" questioned R. Mika.

"Can you blame her?" spoke up Sakura. "We're talking about a hot guy here."

"This is true," giggled Cassandra.

R. Mika laughed as she shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, fair enough."

"However," Alisa began. "I suppose I was willing to accompany Lars because I wanted to go out and learn more about the world. It is not apparent to you, but I am an android."

Everyone was silent as they stared at Alisa with disbelief. It lasted a few moments before Cassandra threw her arms up in the air and leaned back in her chair. "I give up. What's an android?"

"A robot with a human appearance," explained Xiaoyu.

Cassandra frowned. "Aaaand what's a robot?"

"You know what Cyrax looks like, right?" asked Asuka. Cassandra nodded before Asuka proceeded. "It's like that, but with no human body underneath all those parts. Basically, it's the other way around."

"Ooooh. Well… I'm still confused, but I think I get the gist of it."

"I don't believe you're an android," called out Xiaoyu. "I mean… you look so lifelike! And you seem to have a mind of your own."

"I am very flattered by your last remark," said Alisa. "And I assume you haven't watched my last tournament match. If you don't believe I am an android, I can prove it to you right now."

Before anyone had a chance to say anything, Alisa quickly reached for her head and popped it right off her neck!

…Out in the hotel hallway, the small group consisting of Hwoarang, Hwang, Seong Mi-na, and Yun-seong were just on their way to work on some training out in the forest after lunch (and by Hwang's insistence mainly because he wanted to see what the trio had learned from both Bo' Rai Cho and Baek Doo San so far). They were just reaching the hotel elevators when they suddenly heard screams of terror (and a roaring of what sounded like a bear) coming not too far from where they were.

Within seconds, one of the doors just in front of them burst open and the group consisting of R. Mika, Sakura, Asuka, Cassandra, Elena, Xiaoyu, and Panda came pouring out of the room before they ran towards the hotel stairs as though their lives were depending on it. They were still screaming at the top of their lungs all through the run.

"Wait!" Alisa called out as she emerged from the room - her head still in her hands! "I didn't mean to scare you! I promise, I have more fun tricks up my sleeves!"

She then turned her body, and her eyes soon spotted Hwang, Yun-seong, Hwoarang, and Seong Mi-na… all with terror in their eyes. Upon realizing why they gave her that look, Alisa promptly snapped her head back on her neck, gave them a warm smile, and waved.

"Hello," she greeted - right before she turned and jogged in the direction the others ran off to.

It took a few moments for Hwang to get his bearings once the screaming had stopped. "What… was that?"

"Clearly the new girl is a robot of some kind," guessed Hwoarang.

"A what?" questioned Yun-seong.

"We'll look it up later," Seong Mi-na promised almost too nonchalantly. "Now then, let's go before that nice view by the gazebo is taken."

From there, the four of them made their departure.

---

Okan Bar and Grill

It was nearly noon when Cody reached the entrance to one of the two restaurants within the Mishima Hotel. He always kept noticing one restaurant - Kyaputen - every time he entered the lobby whether through the front doors or the elevators. But then he was reminded of all the good drinks at the Okan Bar and Grill and always ended up there without fail.

Regardless, the Okan Bar and Grill was his intended destination that afternoon even before he left his hotel room.

Cody soon entered the restaurant, and it didn't take him long to spot Maki, who watched him come in from the hotel's lobby. As soon as he spotted her, Maki raised her arm and waved him over to her booth.

"Good afternoon, sir," the restaurant host greeted by the entryway. "Would you like to sit at the bar or a table this afternoon?"

"My party's over at a table, but thanks," Cody replied before he walked himself over to where Maki sat.

"Hey," Maki said with a small smile as soon as he reached her. "Glad you could make it."

"Well, you did text, 'sooner than later,' late last night, so I figured now was a good time," Cody reminded her. He then gave her a teasing grin. "Does your boyfriend know that you're having lunch with a dashing blonde?'"

Maki rolled her eyes, but chuckled a little as she pointed at the empty spot next to her. "Of course Yang knows. Now sit your ass down. Lunch is on me, by the way."

"Cool, thanks," Cody said as he sat down at the table. He then grabbed for the drink menu and barely started reading through it before he asked jokingly, "Do you think it's too early to order a Moscow Mule?"

"Well, I just ordered a Highball myself," Maki mentioned before she let out a small sigh. "You may need a drink after the conversation we're about to have."

Noting how serious Maki sounded, Cody sighed as he placed his menu down and looked straight at her. "I'm guessing this is about Guy."

Maki frowned a little as she nodded. "I spoke with him about four days ago. Or rather, the day before the current round of the tournament started."

"Huh. Sounds like it was the same day I suggested he go talk to you."

Maki stared at her old friend with her brown eyes. "I didn't realize you suggested he talked to me."

"I figured it was better than nothing," Cody admitted as he slightly shook his head. "That morning was… not good to say the least. I mean, granted he's been waking up from nightmares for a while now, but that early morning was… pretty intense. He felt so damn guilty over what happened in Keisei."

"I caught that even without him saying it," Maki replied. She gazed down at the menu in front of her, but didn't pay attention to the contents within. "He… felt like he broke a promise to Rena when he attacked me in Keisei."

Cody shook his head as anger began to simmer in his blood. "He was brainwashed, dammit! It wasn't his fault!"

"I know," Maki agreed. "But you and I know how it is - no matter how many times people tell us that something is out of our hands or it wasn't our fault, we end up wondering 'what if,' or, 'what could we have done better?' You know - good ol' fashioned 'blame yourself.'"

"He did feel like he should've been strong enough when Sodom succeeded in dragging him to Kahn. Considering how Guy always defeated Sodom easily in the past, my guess is that Kahn used the Chishio No Me medallion to make Sodom stronger and succeed in finally defeating him. I have no proof, of course, buuut that makes more sense to me."

Maki's eyes widened a little as she gazed back up at Cody. "Wow, I… I never thought that was a possible scenario."

"Neither did I until recently," he admitted. He grumbled a little as he leaned back against his seat. "This sucks, you know? Now I know what Guy went through when I was the one pushing people away."

"Sometimes, you can offer as much help as you want, but it's up to them to take advantage of it."

"Yeah. Still sucks though."

"Course, that reminds me… I think Yun's going through what Guy is going through. There have been nights when Yang and I would wake up to him screaming after he endured a nightmare. It's… really heartbreaking to hear, especially for Yang."

Cody frowned over that. "That's right… Yun was brainwashed, too. I was wondering how the others were handling the aftermath."

"Everyone deals with trauma in their own way," Maki said. "Some handle it better than others. At least Guy is willing to talk a little bit about it to us. And you and I both know how rare that is. Yang tries to talk to Yun, but Yun isn't budging at all. He prefers to just forget about it and go on with life as usual."

"He's likely not ready to face it," Cody guessed. "But like you said, when he's ready, he'll let you know."

"I hope so, for his sake." Maki took another deep breath before she proceeded. "Going back to Guy, there was something else I noticed during our conversation a few days ago. Maybe I'm looking too much into it, but… when we spoke, I noticed that he seemed to carry a heavy weight on his shoulders. Like there's more going on than the guilt and nightmares."

"What do you think it is?"

Maki shook her head. "I don't know. And you and I both know that he'll likely not talk about it any time soon."

"Well, here's hoping he eventually does talk, even if he doesn't necessarily talk to us." Cody let out a sigh as he leaned forward in his seat. "You were right - I do need a drink. I might actually order Outworld Liquor."

Maki raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously?"

Cody was about to answer, but he happened to look over at the restaurant's lobby area when he noticed the familiar face of Jessica Haggar walking inside. He watched as she briefly spoke to the restaurant host, who soon led her over the bar area.

The last time he saw was four days ago - when they got into an argument over whether or not Cody was fine. Cody only realized in that moment how ironic that was given his recent conversation with Maki over the hope that Guy would eventually open up more to them over what he was going through.

I really am a fucking idiot, Cody thought with a small frown.

"Hey Maki," Cody started as he got up from the booth. "I'll be back in a few minutes. If our server comes back with your drink, order me that Moscow Mule. We'll order lunch as soon as I get back."

"I thought you wanted Outworld Liquor," Maki reminded him jokingly.

"Pfft, I'm not that desperate to get drunk. Yet," Cody said just as he began to walk away and towards the bar area.

As soon as he reached Jessica, Cody nearly said hello - but then thought better of it as he sat down at the empty stool next to her. "I'm sorry. I was a fucking idiot."

Jessica turned her head a little to look at Cody. She tilted her head a little. "Yes, you were."

Cody pouted a little as he shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, maybe I deserve to have that rubbed in."

"Like I said," Jessica started. "I understand if you didn't want to talk about what was going on. But don't be an ass about it."

"I know, and I definitely was an ass. I'm sorry," Cody repeated. "It's just, well… I still struggle with admitting when I'm not fine."

Jessica frowned a little as she recalled an old memory. "Well, I do remember back when we were kids how your Dad used to… treat you whenever you showed any ounce of emotion. That couldn't have been easy to deal with growing up."

"Yeah," Cody answered as he shrugged nonchalantly over the mention of his childhood. He had long since moved past those dark days of his youth. "But enough about me. I can start making it up by buying you your next drink if you like."

Jessica pursed her lips a little as she thought it over. She then looked at Cody and smiled. "I have a better idea. Do you want to join me for lunch?"

"I would, except I'm already here having lunch with Maki, and she's paying," Cody mentioned. "It's not a date or anything, we were just having a very depressing conversation."

Jessica chuckled at that - the 'date' part, not the 'depressing conversation' part. "I know. Last I checked, Maki was still with Yang."

"That is true. Buuut I wouldn't mind taking you out to dinner later tonight, just you and me. How does Chinese food sound?"

Jessica smiled over the idea. "Sounds great."

---

Mishima Hotel - Penthouse

While sitting on the balcony right outside their penthouse, Lili and Karin sat at a table, each with a cup of tea in front of them. Not a word was said to each other. As a matter of fact, the two had barely spoken since they lost the tournament two days ago.

Lili was especially miffed about her loss in the Shikoken Tournament. For the second time in a year, she was defeated by her foe, Asuka. It was bad enough the first time, but it might as well be completely humiliating after the last loss.

How dare she gain another win over me! Lili yelled in her head. Next time we fight, I'll make sure she doesn't win again!

Karin wasn't too thrilled about losing to Sakura in the same match, but this sort of thing was pretty much tradition for them. At the moment, Sakura was ahead of them in their personal battle tally. Of course, Karin planned to up her side of her tally. She just had to find the right moment to do so.

Their thoughts were disrupted when the sliding glass door opened. The two young blondes turned their heads and soon spotted Lili's butler - Sebastian - entering the balcony and walking towards them. In his hands was a silver tray with the portable hotel phone on top of it.

"Miss Lili," Sebastian said. "Your father is on the phone."

Lili felt her mood suddenly brighten with joy. Although she and her father spoke just a few days ago, it was still a delight for her to hear from him. Lili took the phone from the tray before she gazed up at her butler. "Thank you. You're dismissed, Sebastian."

"Call out if there is anything else you need, Miss Lili," Sebastian offered before he turned on his heel and went back inside the penthouse.

Karin chose that moment to stand up. "I think I will take advantage of the hotel's sauna. I am certain I will see you later for dinner."

Lili waved as Karin left the balcony. As soon as the door closed, Lili brought the phone up to her ear. "Bonjour, dear father," she greeted cheerfully.

"Bonjour, dear daughter," her father replied from the other side of the phone. "I would have called sooner, but work has kept me very busy these past few days."

"More problems with the Mishima Zaibatsu?" Lili asked with concern.

"In a way," the older man said. "Though not much has changed ever since they took over our oil fields."

Lili frowned over that. "I wish they would simply leave you alone."

"As do I, but I do not have a choice. There is too much conflict as it is, and you know how I feel about that. Which reminds me… I saw your match in Paris on television. As strongly as I feel about fighting, I know this tournament meant a lot to you, and I am sorry you were defeated. Does this mean you will be coming home soon?"

Lili sighed inwardly. She understood why her father asked that question - especially with a war going on - but she just wished he didn't worry so much about her. "Father, you must remember, I am eighteen years old now. I am not a little girl anymore. Besides, Sebastian is here with me. And I have friends here who are still in the tournament who I want to continue to support. It'll only be for a little while longer. As soon as it is over, I will come straight home. And I promise that you will be the first to know."

She heard her father sigh before he answered her. "I appreciate that. It's just that I miss you so, and I worry. It is hard to tell whether this war is getting worse or staying the same. I do not see any kind of reprieve from it anytime soon."

The tone in which the older man said those words broke Lili's heart. Her father sounded so sad and defeated. In the back of her mind, she knew the one thing that would make him happy…

"I need to go," the older man said. "But I shall call you in a few days. Je t'aime."

"Je t'aime aussi," Lili replied. "Take care of yourself, father."

"You too."

As soon as the older man hung up, Lili turned off her phone before she gazed out at the afternoon horizon beyond the balcony she sat at. From her point of view, the world seemed so peaceful. It was as though there was no war going on at all. Of course, Lili knew better. As her father said, who knew whether or not this war was going to get worse.

Which was why, in that moment in her mind, Lili decided that it was time to take matters into her own hand. And she was going to start by finding a way to meet Jin Kazama - in person.

---

Mishima Forest

"And here is where we have our meetings," said Yoshimitsu as he gestured a hand at his surroundings. He and Cyrax decided earlier that day to give two of the new Chosen Ones - Lee Chaolan and Lars Alexandersson - a mini tour of the designated meeting spot of the Chosen Ones.

"Nice," replied Lee as he took in the scene. "Secluded and even provides tables and seats for everyone to enjoy refreshments. When is the next meeting?"

"Likely after this round of the tournament ends," Cyrax guessed. "Which should be in a few days, if I recall."

"You'll meet everyone then," Yoshimitsu added.

"Is it true that there's over seventy Chosen Ones?" asked Lars.

"Yup," Cyrax replied. "Though we're probably close to eighty by now since you two and Alisa joined up." He chuckled a little. "Of course, none of that beats your five figure-sized coup army."

"Yeah…"

"Have you been in contact with Yggdrasil since you regained your memories?" Yoshimitsu asked with some curiosity.

"Not yet," Lars replied. "After Raven informed me that some of them - including my XO - will be returning to the island from their mission within the next week, I decided it was best to wait until then. Besides, it'll give me more time to sort out my head after regaining my memories."

"I've been in your shoes before," Cyrax soon began to admit. "I once had my memories wiped clean when I first became a cyborg. I would've never regained them had it not been for the help of the US Special Forces. It's been quite a while since it happened, but I still remember the overwhelming feeling of remembering everything."

Lars frowned a little over that. "I'm sorry that happened. And from what I'm hearing, we're not the only ones. Liu Kang mentioned to me that a few of the other Chosen Ones were brainwashed during the Universal War to serve under the Outworld Emperor?"

"Sadly, it's true," answered Yoshimitsu. "However, they're very unlikely to talk about it. From my observation, all of them are… tightlipped about their experience."

"I can only imagine," said Lee. "Being forced to follow Shao Kahn's orders like a marionette must've been traumatic. I don't blame them for not wanting to talk about it."

"There's also the elephant in the room involving a certain 'Chosen One,'" Cyrax informed. "Everyone's pretty much split on her involvement since she was, eh… Shao Kahn's Empress during the Universal War."

"...I could see why that would be awkward," Lars said. "Granted, I imagine Liu Kang, being a God and all, wouldn't invite her to the group if she couldn't be trusted."

"Which is a part of the reason why I chose to tag team with Ivy in this tournament," mentioned Yoshimitsu.

"The other part being…?" Lee questioned.

"That former enemies can unite in partnership despite a very dark past. I fully forgave her just after the tournament ended."

"Why so?" Lee asked curiously.

Before Yoshimitsu could answer him, the four men suddenly heard yelling close by. "Where is he?!" the familiar voice of Paul Phoenix shouted. "Where is that bastard?!"

"Paul, calm down," the voice of Marshall Law replied. "You really shouldn't be looking for a fight in your state of mind."

At that point, the two of them, plus Forest, appeared through the trees and in the small clearing of the meeting area. "Shut up, I do what I want!" Paul yelled.

"That's all fine and dandy, except you're seeing more red than the gi you're wearing!" Marshall pointed out.

"What's going on?" Yoshimitsu disrupted aloud.

The trio turned their heads and soon noticed the four men. Forest waved to them. "Hi guys!"

"Hi," answered Cyrax.

"We were-" Marshall started, but then he recognized one of the two newcomers. "Hey Lee."

"Hi Marshall," Lee replied. "Hi Paul."

"Sup?" Paul grumbled without much enthusiasm.

"You guys know each other?" Cyrax asked with a little bewilderment.

"We go back as far as the first King of Iron Fist Tournament," Lee quickly explained. "The three of us used to train together just prior to the tournament."

"Those were good times," said Marshall.

"Agreed," responded Paul. "Now that we have that reunion out of the way, I have my own matter to attend to."

"Seriously, what is this about?" asked Cyrax.

Marshall pointed a thumb at the young man next to him. "My genius son here, as much as I love him, just had to bring up a certain moment from when Paul attended the Blood Tournament while we were training at the gym. That conversation set Paul into angry mode-"

"I didn't mean to, Dad!" Forest shouted in his own defense.

"And now he's looking for a fight."

"Out here?" questioned a confused Lars. "Why?"

"...There's a reason for that."

Then, as though on cue, Paul shouted as loud as he could. "Scorpion! Get out of wherever you're hiding so I can kick your ass!"

"...Who's Scorpion?" asked Lee.

"You may find out in just a minute," answered Cyrax.

However, it was within a split second after the cyborg's sentence that a burst of flames ignited just a few feet from Paul. The moment started the two newcomers momentarily as neither Lee nor Lars expected it. Once the flames disbursed, they noticed a man dressed in black and yellow ninja garb with two swords strapped to his back and colorless eyes that glared straight at Paul.

"What do you want?" Scorpion asked with annoyance.

Paul slammed his fist into his open palm a couple of times before he stretched his neck from side to side. "I want a rematch," he responded. Paul then got himself in a fighting stance. "You may have beaten me last time at the Blood Tournament, but this time, I'll show you why I'm the toughest in the universe!"

Scorpion shook his head as he got himself in a fighting stance. "You're a fool. Just remember - when I defeat you, it is you who started this fire."

"Paul, I really think this is a bad idea-" said a concerned Marshall.

Before any more was said, Scorpion suddenly shot out his right arm, and a spear connected to a rope flew out and towards his opponent.

Fully prepared for that maneuver, Paul quickly stepped to the side. "Not this time!" he yelled right before he grabbed for the rope portion of the weapon just behind the spear. However, as soon as Paul had a good grip, Scorpion yanked the spear back with such a force that Paul's feet left the ground momentarily.

"GET OVER HERE!" the spectre shouted, his voice echoing through their surroundings.

"SHIT!" Paul shouted as he flew forward. As soon as he was close enough, Scorpion performed an uppercut that sent the judo fighter flying up in the air.

"Ouch…" Forest murmured after he witnessed that.

"Huh, I just noticed something," Cyrax suddenly spoke up.

"What?" asked Marshall.

"...Paul has a scorpion tattoo on his right arm."

"Heh," chuckled Yoshimitsu. "That's interesting. Though I imagine he got that before he met Scorpion."

"I can confirm that, I think," said Lee. "I noticed he had it during the fourth King of Iron Fist tournament. That tournament took place just a few months before the Blood Tournament if I recall."

"That is true," Marshall added. "I was also there when he got it about fifteen years ago."

"There you go," Cyrax concluded.

Back in the fight, Paul managed to flip himself back before he landed on his feet. With a yell, he ran forward towards Scorpion, who also started to meet him halfway. As soon as they reached each other, Paul threw the first punch, though Scorpion was able to block it with ease with his forearm. Paul threw a few more punches that were blocked and parried before he changed his strategy by lifting a knee and smashing it into Scorpion's abdomen.

Scorpion keeled over from the hit before Paul landed an elbow strike to Scorpion's face, followed by a palm attack that forced the spectre to stagger a couple of feet. With a little more space between, Paul took a step forward and threw a forward punch to his opponent's chest. The hit made Scorpion stumble back a little more.

With a growl, Scorpion suddenly disappeared in a burst of flames before he reappeared quickly behind Paul. Paul was just beginning to search for him before Scorpion performed a flip kick, his flaming feet landing hard on Paul's back. With a yell, Paul flew forward before he slammed face first into the grass.

Still, that didn't stop Paul's momentum as he rolled forward and back onto his feet before he spun around to face his opponent. By then, Scorpion was running back towards him. Paul waited until the spectre was close enough before he performed an upper roundhouse kick that connected to Scorpion's face. As the spectre staggered sideways, Paul moved him to grab Scorpion before he lifted him off the ground to perform a straight-jack suplex. As soon as Scorpion's back hit the ground, Paul let him go and rolled away a couple of times before he kipped back up on his feet.

"I'm still number one!" Paul shouted as he raised arm and pointed a finger above his head.

After he stood back up a few feet away, Scorpion shook his head at his opponent. "It figures. You are still just as arrogant as you were back at the Blood Tournament."

"Oh yeah?!" Paul shouted with annoyance as he got back into his fighting stance. "Well, you're still just a typical ninja with your typical ninja tricks!"

It was at that moment when Scorpion reached for the edge of his mask along his jawline. "Would you consider this a typical ninja trick?"

Paul - and everyone else who was watching the fight - expected Scorpion to take off the lower half of his mask. Instead, he took that and the hood off - and all of their eyes (at least for those whose faces were not obscured) went as wide as saucers the second they noticed his flaming skull!

…Nearby, the small group consisting of Hwoarang, Hwang, Seong Mi-na, and Yun-seong were halfway to the gazebo area of the forest when they heard screams of terror that was not only nearby, but echoed all around them. It wasn't long before they noticed Paul jump over a nearby hill and start sprinting down as fast as he could. He also happened to notice the four of them standing on the hiking trail.

"RUN YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" he screamed to them at the top of his lungs. "RUUUN!" However, the four fighters only stared as Paul ran right by them, followed by Marshall, Yoshimitsu, Cyrax, Lars, Lee, and Forest.

"You better run!" Scorpion shouted suddenly from the top of the hill the group came from - his head still unmasked and exposing his flaming skull! From there, he turned his exposed head to look at the newcomers - all with terror in their eyes after they witnessed the spectacle. With an annoyed growl, Scorpion promptly put his mask back on over his head before he disappeared in a burst of flames.

It took a few moments for Hwang to get his bearings once the screaming had stopped. "Okay… this day has been really weird."

"Clearly Scorpion is an undead boogeyman of some kind," guessed Hwoarang.

"A what?" questioned Yun-seong.

"Oh, go look it up in the dictionary!" Seong Mi-na shouted with some frustration. "If we don't go now, the nice gazebo spot will be taken."

"...You are just completely unfazed by any of this, aren't you?" the young Keiseian pointed out.

"When you've been with this group as long as I have," Seong Mi-na explained. "You get used to the weird shenanigans."

"I've been with this group as long as you have and I'm still not used to it," Hwang pointed out.

"Well… time to get used to it," Hwoarang added.

From there, the four of them made their departure and towards the direction of the gazebo area.

---

Mishima Zaibatsu Headquarters

Within the Mishima Zaibatsu's main compound was a weapons room. It primarily served to provide various types of guns, knives, and other combat utilities to the Tekken Force since the time Heihachi Mishima ruled as CEO. In his boredom, Bryan Fury decided to check over what knives the Zaibatsu had in their collection.

There were some knives he recognized off the bat. Many were standard while others were illegal in most jurisdictions on Earthrealm (he knew them by heart thanks to his past Interpol connections in his 'human' life). There were others that were new to him. Whether they were from the black market or exclusive to the Tekken Force was anyone's guess.

One in particular caught Bryan's attention - a balisong knife that was nearly half the length of his forearm. The two black hilts were folded back and locked to reveal the main silver-plated blade that looked to be never used. Bryan gazed at his surroundings momentarily before he reached out and took the balisong off the display case.

Bryan slowly turned the knife as he examined it. It was only during that time when he realized, despite its silver plate, that the weapon was unremarkable. He then happened to turn the weapon at a certain angle and suddenly saw - through the knife's reflection - the familiar grotesque face of Havik.

"Peek-a-boo," the Cleric of Chaos said casually the second Bryan noticed him.

With an irritated growl, Bryan swiftly turned to face Havik and he didn't hesitate to throw the knife in his direction. Havik only moved his arm so that his hand was at face level - right before the blade of the balisong embedded itself right through Havik's palm!

Huh… was all Bryan thought over the moment.

It was only then did Bryan notice Tira just a few feet behind him. Her purple eyes widened very briefly at the display before she turned her attention to the cyborg. "Nice aim," she said, sounding almost impressed.

Bryan rolled his eyes as he began to approach the two. "What are you talking about? I missed."

"Well despite your intentions, I'm most impressed," Havik admitted as he pulled the knife out from his hand. A few drops of blood dripped from his hand before he let the blood-stained balisong drop onto the ground.

"Hey!" Tira suddenly called out to Bryan. She then began to remind him, "You still owe me a fight after our first encounter in Keisei."

Once more, Bryan rolled his eyes at her as he recalled their first meeting during the Universal War. "What's the point? You weren't a challenge then, and I doubt you're much of a challenge now."

Tira clenched her teeth at him. "I'll make you regret you're alive!"

"Go easy on him, Tira," a new voice - albeit a mildly sarcastic one - suddenly intervened. Bryan shifted his eyes and soon noticed Kabal entering the room as he heard a commotion in the weapons room from the hallway. "The man already died twice."

"Ah you should let them play if they want to," Havik said. He then tilted his head a little in Kabal's direction. "But considering recent… circumstances, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me to hear you say that."

"What do you mean?" Kabal asked nonchalantly.

"Let's just say that there's been a lack of… anarchy on your part lately," Havik pointed out.

"That's far from the truth," Kabal replied, his voice slightly hardened. "The lack of activity in this place hasn't given me much of an opportunity to cause any semblance of chaos."

"...Yeah, we should start shaking things up a bit," Havik realized. He then turned on his heel before he began to leave the room. "If you wish to join me, meet me on the rooftop."

As soon as Havik disappeared around the corner, Tira glared at both men in the room. She then gave them a sadistic grin before she turned around and began to follow in the same direction Havik went.

That left Bryan alone with Kabal for a brief moment. And the cyborg didn't have to look underneath Kabal's mask to know that the Black Dragon leader was glaring at him. It was as though he was telling the usual-lone wolf, 'Don't even bring it up.' After a couple of seconds, Kabal let out a huff before he turned on his heel and left the room. Bryan noted that Kabal turned in the same direction Havik and Tira went.

Once he was alone again, Bryan picked up the balisong from the ground, which was stained with Havik's blood. He was just about to remove the bandana he had tied around his left bicep to clean it when he suddenly saw something from the corner of his eye - like a shadow figure.

Quickly, Bryan used his free hand to draw a gun from his holster, spun around, and aimed towards where he saw the figure. However, there was no one there…

Using his tech, Bryan switched to infrared vision in order to make catching the intruder easier by reading their core temperature. However, after a few moments of searching around, the cyborg came to the conclusion that either the shadow figure had long since escaped… or it was simply a figment of his imagination.

Don't tell me I'm going crazier than usual… Bryan grumbled in his mind as he placed his gun back in its holster. While he remained attentive to his surroundings, Bryan cleaned off the blood from the blade with his bandana before he placed it back on the display case. From there, he departed the weapons room…

Unknown to Bryan, he had, in fact, seen a shadow figure who happened to be in invisible mode - Noob Saibot. The Brotherhood member happened to notice the commotion between Bryan, Havik, Kabal, and Tira in the weapons room and initially investigated in case there was any sign of betrayal whether against the Mishima Zaibatsu or the Outworld Resistance.

Though there was nothing to learn from the exchange, Noob Saibot was reminded of his first encounter with the four of them during the Universal War just after Keisei was invaded…

Outskirts of Chiri-san, Joseon Dynasty, Keisei

One year ago…

"You are the Black Dragon, are you not?"

Kabal nodded. "Yes, we are. And who are you?"

"We are the Brotherhood of Shadow, and I am Noob Saibot."

Bryan snorted at the leader's name. "Noob? Seriously?"

Two of the shadow warriors attempted to approach Bryan in a hostile manner. Bryan was just lifting his fists up in defense when Noob quickly slammed the bottom end of his scythe down to the ground. It made a loud clang! noise despite it hitting the grass. It clearly caught Noob's minions' attention because they immediately backed away.

"STAND DOWN!" he demanded, his voice booming. Bryan simply gave them a smug look as the two shadows pulled back.

"It is clear that you are here for something," Havik spoke up as he stepped forward. "If you are here to… oppress us in some way, the best choice in this situation would be for you to leave."

Noob Saibot turned his attention to the Cleric of Chaos. "The Brotherhood of Shadow prefers to get to the point when it comes to our brutality." The leader walked a couple of feet forward as well. "I was there when your group was in Chiri-san during the invasion. I am here to make… an understanding."

"What kind of understanding?" asked Tira as she looked at Noob Saibot with suspicion.

"Have you heard of Quan Chi?" he asked.

Kabal immediately nodded. "The guy's a scumbag if I remember correctly."

"Yes… as of now, he's serving under Shao Kahn, and we, the Brotherhood, 'serve' under Quan Chi. Recently, some of my shadow warriors infiltrated his meetings with another of Shao Kahn's minions, Shang Tsung. The two of them plan to overthrow the Emperor and take over the throne themselves."

"If you ask me, they'll be doing the universe a favor," said Bryan.

Kabal turned to the cyborg. "There's a lot of history behind those two, and there are good reasons that those two possibly ruling Outworld would not be good. I'll explain more later."

Bryan simply nodded as Noob Saibot proceeded. "The Brotherhood plans to let this happen… and when it does, that's where you come in."

"How so?" asked Kabal.

"The forces of chaos will make their move and overwhelm Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, and anyone who gets in their way. Once your work is to your satisfaction, the Brotherhood will move in and take over the throne. We will rule both the Netherrealm and Outworld."

Havik let out a maniacal laugh. "Finally! Someone outside of the Black Dragon understands the way of chaos! To spread chaos in Outworld, especially in the Emperor's hideout, would be magnificent! Outworld has already violated the ways of the people of Chaosrealm, so it would be… fitting, that the chaos would be spread there. It would be what my people would just love."

Havik then gave the Brotherhood leader a serious look. "Do keep in mind, however. If things start to get too… orderly…" That word always made him want to chew his own tongue off. "Then we will pull out of this… understanding."

Noob Saibot nodded before he put a hand out. Havik knew what this meant… it was a way to bind a 'contract' of sorts. His people didn't believe in contracts. However, he thought about it more and figured, well... why the hell not? The Outworld Forces dared to attempt to place order on those who didn't believe in it. To place chaos on them would be what Havik considered poetic.

In one of his rare moments, Havik clasped Noob's hands. Neither of them shook hands, but it was enough. It was a simple sign of their partnership, one that Havik would be able to pull out of if necessary.

Upon thinking back on the previous partnership, Noob Saibot knew that, technically, their plan was half successful - Shao Kahn was indeed overthrown and it let Quan Chi (the only one of the two sorcerers to survive in the end) take over as Emperor of Outworld. However, the mess that followed after the end of the Universal War delayed things. By the time everything was calm, Quan Chi's power as Emperor was solidified.

In the back of his mind, Noob Saibot figured it wouldn't hurt to continue the 'understanding' between the Brotherhood of Shadow and the Black Dragon. After all, the Brotherhood leader still had the desire to rule both the Netherrealm and Outworld.

He just needed to find the right time to approach.

---

Mishima Forest

Within an hour after Smoke told Sub-Zero about Shura's motives, the two Lin Kuei warriors went into the forest to the usual meeting spot for all the Chosen Ones. There, Liu Kang met with them, and the two didn't hesitate to discuss both their discovery and concerns.

As soon as they were finished, Liu Kang frowned a little over the news. "Have you told Ashrah about this?"

"Not yet," Smoke informed him. "We figured we would come to you first just in case you had any suggestions on how to proceed."

Liu Kang sighed as he began to pace a little. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before he said, "This is precisely why I said it was best that no outsiders knew of our mission unless they themselves were invited to join our cause. Not that I don't think it's something either of you would do, but this is a prime example of why Zafina and I are strict about this precaution. Zafina and I were always on the lookout for those with potential from the beginning… Shura included."

"I didn't realize you were evaluating Shura," Sub-Zero mentioned.

"Mainly because she was partnered with Sareena in this tournament," Liu Kang explained. "It was a few days ago, when the two of you, plus Sareena and Shura, were at the beach, when I briefly evaluated Shura's potential. Unfortunately, it turns out she's… tainted with darkness, which is disbalancing her soul."

"Because of her career choice, maybe?" Smoke pondered aloud. "I mean, it's one thing if she was targeting… say for example, Quan Chi. Obviously, she'd be doing the universe a huge favor in getting rid of that bastard. But the fact that she's targeting one of our own, someone with clear and good intentions… I can see why that would taint her soul. But then again, Sub-Zero and I are trained assassins as well. So is Sareena, and yet all of us are Chosen Ones regardless."

"This is true," Liu Kang agreed. "However, as I'm sure you both figured out, I wasn't aware that she's an assassin until a few minutes ago. But I did realize later that evening why there's such a dark aura that surrounds her soul. It turns out… there's a demon that lurks in her shadows. More specifically, it lives within her skull pauldron."

Sub-Zero and Smoke immediately turned to face each other as realizatoin dawned on them. "I remember that pauldron," the ice warrior mentioned. "She wore it the day we first met her."

"Huh," Smoke huffed. "And I complimented her on it, too. Guess we had an extra guest without realizing it that day."

"Was she wearing the pauldron when you were with her the other night?" Sub-Zero suddenly asked his friend.

Smoke thought about it for a split second before he sighed with relief. "No, thank goodness. And it's also a good thing we went to my room. Imagine the awkwardness of that pauldron staring at us from the coffee table while we eeeeh…"

Smoke suddenly trailed off as he noticed Liu Kang's face, one that was both bewildered and maybe a little curious. He glared at the immortal as he folded his arms in front of his chest. "Yes, it's exactly what you think. And I'll have you know that I would've never known about her plot against Ashrah otherwise."

"What do you make of this demon?" Sub-Zero asked the Fire God as a means of changing the subject for Smoke's sake… or for his own sake, he honestly wasn't quite sure at that moment.

"Hard to say," Liu Kang answered with a small shake of his head. "It's definitely an evil spirit from the Netherrealm, but it is otherwise a mystery. It's also hard to tell whether they're working together, or if the demon has her under its control. She seems to be moving freely on her own at this point."

"I agree," Smoke said. "When I followed her yesterday, it was like watching someone on a solo vacation." He then thought of something. "Of course, now I wonder if the demon knew that I was following her and she avoided Ashrah on purpose…"

Sub-Zero sighed before he spoke. "Okay… so it's clear that Shura being a Chosen One is out of the question, not with this demon on her shoulder."

"Literally," Smoke added.

The ice warrior ignored him as he proceeded. "Between that and having Ashrah as her target, how do you suggest we handle this?"

Liu Kang figured it out quickly. "First and foremost, warn Ashrah. It's better for her to be prepared in case Shura strikes without anyone else around. Also, alert Sareena. It's best for her to know exactly what's going on with her tag team partner. Aside from all that, the only other thing I can suggest is for you two - and Sareena - to keep an eye on Shura throughout the rest of our stay on the island. I will keep an eye on her as well."

Smoke took a deep breath. "That… should be easy enough."

---

Four Years Ago, Mexico City

"El señor es mi pastor; Nada me faltará. Me hace reposar en pastos verdes: me guía junto a las aguas en reposo."

The call came late into the night; it was a friend of his elder brother. There had been an incident in Arizona, and he must come right away.

"Él restaura mi alma: me guía por senderos de justicia por amor de su nombre."

He took the first plane out of Mexico City and into Phoenix, Arizona. The flight was only three hours, but the time felt longer. So, so much longer. He wanted nothing more than to be there by his brother's side when he needed him most.

"Sí, aunque camine por el valle de la sombra de la muerte, no temeré mal alguno, porque tú estás conmigo; tu vara y tu cayado me consuelan."

His brother was still alive when he got there - but the damage was done. 'It was too much for him to take,' the doctor said.

The friend of his brother relayed the whole story to him. He tried to help a former champion who was in a raging, drunken stupor. The 'thanks' he got was a beating…

"Preparas una mesa delante de mí en presencia de mis enemigos: unges mi cabeza con aceite; mi copa está rebosante."

Barely a day after his arrival, his brother succumbed to death's embrace. He took him home two days later after the preparations were finalized.

"Ciertamente la bondad y la misericordia me seguirán todos los días de mi vida; y habitaré en la casa del Señor para siempre."

The 23rd Psalm was never the same since the day he buried his brother and said goodbye…

Present Day, Mishima Hotel

Sitting at the foot of his bed in his hotel room, Armor King found himself staring at a picture he had carried with him for the last four years - that of himself alongside his older brother in a black-and-white photograph.

There hadn't been much progress since he saw his brother's murderer - Craig Marduk - at the Okayama Bar in the downtown area a few days ago. Between then and this moment, Armor King primarily focused on training. He and his tag team partner, Balrog, recently won a match and were expected to move on to Round Four.

Meanwhile, Marduk and King were both still in the tournament as well as of earlier in the day.

Armor King nearly shook his head. How could a murderer like Marduk walk free? And how could his brother's protégé, King - who initially wanted to see Marduk dead - suddenly change his mind and tag team with him?

The last question alone was a huge insult to his brother's memory.

With anger boiling in his blood, Armor King made a decision - it was time to confront Marduk. All he needed was a perfect opportunity.