"It's come down to this," Shao Kahn announced. "The Shaolin monk Liu Kang versus The Shokan warrior Kintaro!"
"Your fellow Shokan, Goro gave me the toughest fight I've ever had." Liu Kang praised the former champion. "I'm sure you'll do the same. Good luck."
"Luck?" Kintaro sounded offended. "The only person needing luck is you! You got lucky beating my friend and now? Now your luck has ran out."
"I see you're unlike Goro," Liu Kang realized. "Unlike you, he had honour."
"All the Shokan have honour, human!" Kintaro retorted as he clenched his fists.
"Some more than others." Liu Kang also engaged in a fighting stance.
"FIGHT!"
Kintaro, like he did in his fight with Johnny Cage, rushed down Liu Kang which knocked over the monk. Kintaro scraped up Liu Kang after knocking him over and forced his face into the sand in an attempt to suffocate him. Liu fought off the Shokan's grasp. He leapt back to his feet, connecting with a bicycle kick as he popped up. Kintaro only budged slightly from this, chuckling with firmer beliefs that his victory was assured.
"It baffles me how you became champion." Kintaro yelled over the electric crowd that was cheering for the Shokan to win. "To think I used to look up to Goro."
Liu Kang replied with a fireball that struck the Shokan's chest. Again, Kintaro was left almost completely unfazed. Kintaro ran at Liu Kang and punched him into the Coliseum wall.
"I'll give you a chance now to surrender." Kintaro offered to a stunned Liu Kang who slid down the wall that he had been smashed into.
"I will do no such thing." He yelled, confirming he was still conscious enough to have heard the offer.
"Do you seriously think that you can save Earthrealm?" Kintaro asked. "You can't stop Shao Kahn."
"All I need to do is get through you." Liu finally stood up from the throw, prepared to continue fighting.
"A pity that you think I'm the final obstacle." Kintaro sympathized.
"Enough talking!" Liu Kang snapped.
Liu dove in with a dragon kick, it connected with the face of the unprepared Kintaro. The Shokan fell to a knee, he had been caught off guard and was no on the receiving end of the fight. Liu Kang began attacking with his windmill punches, Kintaro powered through it by shoving Liu to the floor.
"Enough of you!" Kintaro roared. He leapt in the air and went to stomp both his feet into the Shaolin but missed, Liu rolled away leaving only a ray of sand that spouted into the air.
Liu began crawling backwards to get away from the now much more frustrated Kintaro who was stomping his way towards the monk. Liu backed up into something hard and cold. Stone. Liu turned his head and realized he had backed up into the front steps to the throne stage, Liu was now at the feet of Shao Kahn.
"Look at you, pathetic monk." Shao scolded. "You have failed Earthrealm."
"Not yet." Liu said as Kintaro scooped him up before tossing him back into the sand.
Liu got up once again. He met Kintaro face to face, or more so face to chest. The near 8-foot-tall Shokan towered over the 5'10 Shaolin. Liu Kang created some space between the two with a backhand that was enhanced by the dragon fire surrounding his hand.
"You can utilize a dragon's flame," Kintaro admitted in recognition of his powers. "But the Shokan are real dragons."
"Half dragons," Liu corrected. "You dismiss your other half: human."
"Do not compare yourself to me!" Snapped Kintaro. The Shokan went berserk and charged at Liu. Liu Kang dodged it and hit a dragon kick to the back of Kintaro, accelerating Kintaro into the Coliseum wall.
Kintaro burst through the wall, leading himself into one of the containment pens for the Coliseum's entertainment beasts. Several unique animals leapt at Kintaro, beginning to maul at the Shokan.
"Help him!" Shao Kahn ordered to everyone who stood by him on the stage. The emperor's servants all fought of the beasts. Karbrac, Baraka, Kollector, Ermac and Khameleon fought off the animals as Kintaro rolled away to escape the ravenous animals.
Ermac used his telekinesis to throw two beasts into one another. Kollector then burnt the two dazed creatures' by utilizing his green and blue cursed flames that he had dug through his bag to acquire. Baraka, while he no longer had his arm blades, he still aided Karbrac in beating up a few of the beasts with Karbrac using his energized blade to get the finishing blows. A giant being of a species nicknamed the Tormentor's towered over the group but was quickly knocked down by the five fighters into a hole which was where the elevator down in the Coliseum's beast pen was located. Khameleon entered the pen invisible, apprehending the pen's beast master and dragging him to the elevator where the unconscious Tormentor lay. She was prepared to bring the beast master before Shao Kahn.
Meanwhile in Kahn's arena, Kintaro was starting to recover as Liu Kang delivered some offense to his opponent. Kintaro was becoming angrier and finally snapped. Kintaro grabbed Liu Kang and launched him through the wooden platform that had of course been used to carry the throne of Shao Kahn into the Coliseum. Kintaro leapt in the air and went to land his entire weight onto Liu Kang. Once more did Liu Kang roll out the way, causing Kintaro to smash through the wooden stage. Shao Kahn quickly moved off his throne that came sliding down from the now slanted wood that surrounded the broken hole that Kintaro now lay it, the stone throne smashed over Kintaro's unconscious body. Shao Kahn was furious.
"Emperor!" Khameleon called, Ermac using his telekinesis to bring the beast master before Shao. "This beast master has been unsuccessful in keeping his animals cag-"
Shao Kahn smashed his Wrath Hammer over the head of the beast master before the accusation on him could've even been fully made.
"I shall keep the beasts that remain in my care, excellency." Kollector informed before walking back to the beast pen.
"Good Kollector. Now stand aside, all of you." Kahn demanded. "You have not won yet, Liu Kang."
"What?"
"You owe me Kombat!" Shao Kahn yelled. "For one final time, FIGHT!"
Kahn leapt in with an overhead hammer swing. Liu Kang side stepped the attack and delivered a series of kicks to the emperor. Shao Kahn was knocked back into one of the stone pillars that had been previously used to hold Kano imprisoned. Kahn was pressed against the pillar, allowing Liu to get some flaming punches onto the emperor but it didn't take long for Kahn to shove Liu back. Kahn ran back in, swinging his hammer which Liu was doing a good job reversing the attacks before eventually being struck by the hammer and pelted away.
"Your tyranny ends here!" Liu Kang promised. As he spoke the flames surrounding his fists only became hotter.
"My tyranny will only end when I'm dead." Kahn chuckled at the mere idea of someone killing him, it was unrealistic in his mind. "And I doubt you have the guts to kill a fly!"
"Flies are more deserving of life than you." He retorted.
"You should be honoured that you have the dignity of dying at my hands." Kahn commented. "Now, let's finish this!"
The two charged at each other. Kahn swung his hammer to the side but Liu Kang jumped over it and began a repeating cycle of bicycle kicks. The cycle only concluded when Liu moved his feet up to Kahn's head and stomped him to the floor. For the first time ever, Shao Kahn had been floored.
"For the Shaolin!" Liu went to finish the fight with his signature flaming backhand, as how he had defeated Goro but was batted aside by Kahn's Wrath Hammer.
"Pathetic wimp!" Kahn taunted as Liu struggled to his feet, the Shaolin's entire right side of his face had been bloodily grazed by the hammer.
"I will... defeat... you..." Liu Kang promised as Kahn smashed the top of the hammer over Liu's back.
"And I will cripple you if I must." Shao Kahn proceeded with the taunts as he slowly beat down Liu Kang. "You've failed your precious Elder Gods."
"Not... yet." Liu repeated before being bashed by the hammer again.
"Because I'm taking my time." Shao informed as he stomped on Liu's chest. "Take this moment in because it will be your last."
"I won't... you can't take Earthrealm..." Kang muttered as Kahn raised his Wrath Hammer.
"Once you're out the way I will have all your allies grovel by my feet, begging for mercy." Kahn imagined. "First the remnants of your pathetic Shaolin association will fall to me and I'll especially make sure your friend, Kung Lao will suffer."
"ENOUGH!" Liu Kang snapped. Once more did his hands light aflame, this time the fire was much hotter which was visually noticeable as the flames had turned blue.
Kahn went for the final blow but Liu caught it between his flaming hands and pushed it aside. Liu rose up again like a phoenix and punched Kahn in the face with his flaming fists. A fang that was on the skull mask snapped off from the punch and Liu picked it up, stabbing it into Kahn's stomach.
"It's over." Liu Kang announced.
"You think this is over?" Kahn laughed in between coughs as he collapsed to his knees. "Not nearly so, naive boy."
"Check the rules, emperor," Liu reminded. "You can never challenge Earthrealm again."
"We'll see, boy." Kahn muttered before receiving another knockout blow from Liu Kang, flames scorching Kahn's mask.
Kollector had to move to Kahn's body to confirm if he was unconscious, he couldn't believe it at first. "Shao Kahn has been defeated!" He announced reluctantly.
Liu Kang's allies cheered. Johnny, Smoke, Kung Lao and Raiden came to congratulate him with the returning Tundra, Scorpion and even Kenshi doing the same.
"Earthrealm is saved, Liu Kang. Thank you." Raiden said gratefully.
"Thank you too Raiden," Liu Kang also showed his gratitude. "If it wasn't for you introducing me to Bo' Rai Cho then I would've never been able to have done it."
"And I will repay Bo' Rai Cho by aiding him in the reformation of the Shaolin." Raiden promised.
"As will I." Liu agreed.
"Then let us return home," Raiden decided. "All of us."