Mortal Kombat 9: Ember Edition

Chapter 29: The Real Winner

Raiden hit the rooftop, wincing from the immense pain in his jaw where Shao Kahn uppercut him. As he landed, a vision passed by his eyes.

It was the first vision, the one that started cracking his amulet.

"The elder gods fear me now!" Shao Kahn laughed, picking Raiden up by his neck.

"Their pathetic Mortal Kombat shackles me no longer!"

Again came a brief flash of the future Raiden was trying to avoid, everything was the same. He failed.

Raiden was punched repeatedly in the face, a few of his teeth flying out, and one eye was swollen shut.

Shao Kahn, tired of smacking him around, threw him. As Raiden fell to the edge of the rooftop, his amulet fell and shattered upon impact, and with that amulet his hope, too, shattered.

"They masquerade as dragons." Shao Kahn growled, stalking over to Raiden as his glowing green hammer appeared in his hand. "But are mere toothless worms."

When Raiden rolled weakly onto his back, Shao Kahn stomped on his stomach. The pain sent Raiden the vision again.

"I know you can feel it. It is the end of all things." Shao Kahn said, applying more pressure onto Raiden's stomach.

Raiden's teeth gritted together to suppress the pain as his eyes looked up at the red and grey sky. "Elder gods, where are you? Why do you forsake me?"

His plan was supposed to work, the elder gods were supposed to unleash their fury onto Shao Kahn for breaking the rules. But there was nothing.

Raiden was picked up again by the neck. "Your time has passed." Shao Kahn said, flinging the thunder god on the rooftop once more.

"Ages wasted in foolish resistance." The emperor went on. "But I have won."

"Yes..." Raiden replied, struggling to get on his knees. "You have won."

A victorious smirk grew on Shao Kahn's face, and he lifted his hammer to give the final blow. "Now, Raiden. Your world ends."

Suddenly golden lightning struck, and a portal from above revealed six golden dragons that flew to Raiden and circled around his weakened body.

The magic from the dragons strengthened him as he was lifted from the ground. Soon all his wounds had healed and his hat, which had obviously fallen off from all the throwing that was done to him, was back on his head.

"You violate our will, Shao Kahn." The elder gods spoke, talking through Raiden. "You merge realms without victory in Mortal Kombat. Our penalty is clear."

Raiden shot the golden lightning from his hands, but the electric blast had no effect on Shao Kahn and the emperor laughed.

"An anemic effort from ineffectual deities. Today, I become THE elder god!"

They fight, with Shao Kahn jumping in the air and bringing his hammer onto the rooftop by Raiden's feet. Raiden avoided this by jumping back and flying through the air charged with electricity. He slammed into Shao Kahn, but it only made the emperor stumble.

Regaining his balance, Shao Kahn turned the hammer into a spear, throwing it at Raiden for it to only graze his side. There would've been a lot of blood, but the power of the elder gods healed all of Raiden's wounds during the epic battle with Shao Kahn.

Raiden teleported, punching and kicking Shao Kahn in the back before the emperor knew what was going on. It didn't faze him nearly as much as Raiden preferred, but it broke some skin. Then Raiden got elbowed in the face, his nose should've been broken, but it was healed within seconds.

As the battle carried out, Shao Kahn was becoming annoyed, realizing that he wouldn't be able to defeat Raiden, without it taking centuries.

It was becoming tedious, Shao Kahn managing to hit Raiden but the latter was immediately healed. Whereas Raiden was able to hit Shao Kahn but it did so little damage that it didn't seem to matter.

They both continued, however, punching and kicking, lightning bolts and green spears flew through the rancid air.

Finally, Raiden gained the upper hand, knocking Shao Kahn down with an uppercut.

The large emperor fell on his back, groaning with fatigue. The battle had to have taken hours. He attempted to get back on his feet, refusing to accept defeat, but was blasted with golden lightning.

Now, as the lightning struck the power-hungry emperor, the golden dragons surrounded him. Shao Kahn began screaming out as the dragons bit him. The lightning burned his body and his screams became so loud that anyone anywhere could hear.

Meanwhile, the dragons' attack on Shao Kahn meant that Raiden was released from their control. Exhausted, Raiden collapsed to his knees.

Then, Shao Kahn exploded in a blast of golden light. As the light spread quickly throughout the devastated city, the elder gods left and the grey and red sky began to fade.

As the clouds cleared, the sun shone through. With the warm sun came a great sense of relief to not only Raiden, but to all that survived Shao Kahn's invasion. The few people that did survive the catastrophe began cheering and crying with joy that it was done.

Raiden wasn't ready to celebrate yet, still on his knees, he reached out for his amulet.

The amulet had fixed itself, it was no longer shattered and the cracks that he dreaded were gone as well.

He sighed with relief, staring at the shiny amulet.

"It is over." He announced, more to himself than anyone else.

Sonya and Johnny helped him on his feet, "But only at the gravest of costs." He added.

In his peripheral sight was Liu Kang's corpse. Sonya and Johnny walked with him to the monk's body. "So many are gone." Raiden mourned, looking down at Liu Kang and shaking his head sorrowfully. "Their light has sunk into the earth. I am responsible for their loss."

"You did what you had to. To protect Earthrealm." Sonya said, looking away from her fallen ally to Raiden. "Losses in war...are...are inevitable."

Raiden frowned in thought, wishing that Liu Kang listened to him. But it was too late to dwell on such things, they needed to focus on the present.

With his mouth set in determination, Raiden spoke. "Come. Let us tend the fallen. Then we must help our realm rebuild. Our work has only begun."

With Johnny and Sonya holding on to Raiden, all three of them teleported off the rooftop with Liu Kang's body.

All that is left on the rooftop was Shao Kahn's war helmet, lying where his body exploded. It would've stayed there, untouched for years, but a white hand picked it up.

Bringing the helmet up to his face for closer examination, the portal he came through disappeared.

"Your plan worked to perfection, Lord Shinnok." Quan Chi said, congratulating the figure that appeared beside him.

"Shao Kahn was blinded by rage. How easily was he convinced that the elder gods would ignore his merging of the realms."

Quan Chi looked over at him, lowering his new souvenir. "Yet the thunder god still lives."

Shinnok waved his hand to dismiss the thought, like it wasn't worth his time. "No matter. Neither Earthrealm nor Outworld can now withstand the Nethrrealm's onslaught. It is time. Soon I will be free."

Shinnok turned to his loyal subject, a twisted grin forming on his ghastly face.

"Earthrealm and Outworld will be ours."