Chapter 57 - The Fall of Shao Kahn

---Outworld, Shao Khan's Fortress, 3rd Person POV---

Leading dozens of soldiers to Shang Tsung's laboratory, Shao Khan was enraged by what he had heard. He had been told by Mileena that the wizard was working on usurping his throne. Sindel, Kitana, and Jade were trying to address the problem without his help, but he wasn't the type of man to let someone else protect his throne. He had taken it by force, and he intended to protect it with the same force. Once they reached the door to the laboratory, he immediately got to it.

"Wizard!! Your days of services are over, you will hand over your life to me!", Shao Kahn spat kicking the door in.

Charging into the laboratory, he found Shang Tsung examining some sort of blade. He had never seen such a pure blue blade before, but he could feel the overwhelming Divine Power it contained within. Next to him was a weird looking creature the likes of which he had never seen either, but it to radiated similar Divine Power.

"So it is true, you have been working on things behind my back!", Shao Kahn roared in anger, "Your treachery ends here wizard!!"

Glaring at Mileena and Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung was irritated he had been caught before he could put his plan into motion. His initial plan was to execute them in their sleep tonight, but that was now no long an option. Lifting the sword up and pointing it at his enemy, Shang Tsung mentally commanded his pet to get ready for a fight.

"Since my services are no longer needed, this little game we have been playing is over.", Shang Tsung said with a smile.

"Seize him!", Shao Kahn ordered his troops.

Rushing forward, the Tarkata leapt at him ready to run him through like a pin cushion. Before they could get close though, his pet expanded and engulfed them in a single go. In moments the Tarkata were absorbed leaving not even their armor behind. Realizing that this was going to get him nowhere, Shao Kahn summoned his hammer barreled towards Shang Tsung.

Leaping in front of it's master, the creature attempted to shield Shang Tsung from the blow. Slamming his hammer into the creature, he felt the hammer sink into it's body like it was made of putty. Pulling back his hammer to take some distance, he realized his hammer was being dissolved quickly by the creature so he let it go before it could grab him.

"That was a wise move.", the wizard applauded him, "You aren't all muscle it seems."

"Enough of your games wizard, fight me like a man!", Shao Kahn spat making a sword out of magic.

"You know nothing, why should God fight an Ant!", Shang Tsung said releasing a blast of energy from the sword.

Unable to block the attack Shao Kahn, Mileena, and most of the castle were blown away. Sindel, Jade, and Kitana who were in another part of the castle were sent tumbling across the wasteland in a heap. It took them a few moments to get back up, but immediately the women were on the move dodging the debris that was falling from the sky.

"What is going on!?", Jade shouted summersaulting through the air.

"This has the wizard's doing written all over it!", Sindel hissed noticing an unconscious Mileena under some of the rubble.

Watching Shao Kahn burst out of a pile of rocks, he was bleeding heavily and looked to be very injured. Climbing out of the debris, he staggered forward to see Shang Tsung calming walking out of what once was his laboratory.

"Do I look like a failure now!?", Shang Tsung seethed, "I will have your head mounted on my throne, and your soul will be added to my collection!"

"Haha, you think just because you have some Divinity you are my equal?", Sindel mocked, "You have a lot to learn mortal!"

Unleashing her screams on him, Shang Tsung used one of the many items left by the dead man on the mountain. Using a golden fleece, he caught her attack and launched it back at her. The shock of seeing her attack reflected back at her left her stunned for a moment so Jade tackled her to avoid the attack.

As guards and soldiers arrived, Shang Tsung's pet started devouring them one by one with ease. Realizing that they were outmatched right now, Jade made the suggestion to retreat to Sindel and Kitana.

"As long as I draw breath, I will not retreat to this mere wizard!", Shao Kahn roared as he gathered himself and ran him.

While the two men were locked in combat, Kitana retrieved the unconscious Mileena and told Jade to open a portal to Raiden's Temple. Doing as she was commanded, Jade quickly got a portal ready. Noticing that they were about to escape, Shang Tsung ordered the blob to attack the women.

"Your fight is with me!", Shao Kahn howled in anger.

"Like I said in the beginning...", Shang Tsung said as his image and was replaced with a stone wall, "Why should God a fight an Ant."

Hearing the wizard's voice behind him, next thing Shao Kahn knew the blade pierced his chest clean through. Coughing up a massive amount of blood, he felt his Divinity being siphoned out of him by the blade. Trying to turn around and grab him, Shang Tsung gave him a cruel smile.

"Resistance is futile!", he laughed as he began ripping his soul out, "Your soul is mine!!"

Seeing that Shang Tsung was only going to be preoccupied for a brief time, the women hurried towards the portal. Just before they were there, Kitana felt a burning sensation as several barbs pierced her stomach. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, she stumbled through the portal in severe pain.

---Raiden's Temple, Mael POV---

"Jeez...I know she can be a bitch, but does she have to be late?", I sighed looking at the time, "She was supposed to be here 30 minutes ago."

"This is Sindel we are talking about, she rarely ever honors her word.", Fujin chuckled.

"True, in all my years of dealing with her she rarely has ever-", Raiden started to say as a portal opened.

Seeing the portal connect, I was going to demand a reason for making me wait till the image on the other side appeared. The background looked like a ruined Shao Kahn Castle, and what I also saw was Shang Tsung wielding the Sword of Olympus. He was forcibly draining Shao Kahn's Divinity and taking his soul away right in front of us.

Watching Kitana stumble through the portal, I caught her as she fell to the ground. Noticing the barbs protruding from her stomach, I followed them to a creature that looked a lot like a slime. Sensing Divinity coming from it, I only knew one slime that would have that property.

"Rimuru!?", I said pulling the women out of the way.

There was no way that Rimuru was working with Shang Tsung, the Rimuru I knew would be drooling all over Kitana and Jade right now not trying to kill them. Sure there was the chance this was an evil version of him, but for some reason it didn't seem to have his intelligence. It felt like it was only a monster with no sentience.

"YOU!!", Shang Tsung seethed looking at me as he pulled his sword out.

"How do you like the reconstruction I did on your face?", I chuckled with a calm smile, "It's a massive improvement if I do say so myself."

"Kill him!", Shang Tsung ordered the slime but the slime didn't move.

It seemed like it understood we were in two completely different leagues. Instead of attacking, it retreated from me in a hurry. Stepping through the portal, I summoned Rhitta to me with a grin on my face.

"You ready for Round 2?", I asked him, "Fight!!"

Dashing forwards, I was on him a split second later. Swinging Rhitta downward, he dove to the side to avoid the blow. Even though he avoided it, the air pressure sent him flying through the rubble of the castle. I was going to pursue him, but I heard several people screaming in fear below the castle. Some of them sounded familiar to me, and it only served to piss me off.

"How many worlds do you intend to corrupt with you presence Shang Tsung!?", I questioned as I blew away the rubble with a swing of my left arm.

Instead of answering me, he fell into a portal along with the Slime. Doing a quick check to confirm he wasn't in the immediate area, I was going to head into the Flesh Pits when Raiden called out for me.

"Mael, we need your help!", he shouted, "Kitana's wounds aren't closing!"

Putting the investigation on hold, I returned to his Temple immediately. Checking to ensure that Shang Tsung wasn't nearby Raiden's Temple, I turned my attention to Kitana who was in agony. Curling up into a ball, she was dry heaving and screaming in pain. Using Ark to heal her body, she nearly passed out when the pain stopped.

"You are going to be okay now.", I assured her, "Just take a moment to rest, I have to see how bad Shang Tsung's damages are. I have a feeling he has caused many more problems than I initially thought."

Heading beneath the castle, the stench of death was thick in the area. Countless lives had been created and killed down here by him, their suffering and torment permeated the air. Using Detect Life to look for any survivors, most of what I was finding were failed creations of his. As I was walking down the halls, a voice called out to me.

"...Mael...", a familiar voice said.

Stopping dead in my tracks, I turned my head to the left to see a half formed man chained up against the wall. I knew exactly who it was, and I could only look at him with annoyance.

"You really can't just die, can you?", I stated, "Was getting killed by me once not enough for you?"

"So the wizard wasn't lying...you really aren't the Avatar.", Ozai coughed, "In the end we really did kill him at the Air Temple."

"Yes you did...and you caused so many other deaths as well.", I replied.

"What does it matter, the world we live in is one where the strong control the weak. All of the other nations were weak, and need strong guidance from us to prosper.", he said honestly believing the Fire Nations was superior to the other three.

Letting out a sigh I shook my head at him.

"It's outdated beliefs like that people like you perpetuate till everyone believes it. If I didn't stop you, you'd have driven the world to brink and killed it.", I told him, "You brainwashed Azula when she needed a loving father, you intended to kill Azulon, and worst of all you had no issues with executing Zuko. I know exactly what you have done and would have done once your obstacles were cleared."

Giving me a smug smile, he said that at the end of it all as long as it caused me problems he would take it as a win. Saying that he never once really cared about his family, he told me that he saw his children as failures and said that his damn wife was the reason they weren't harden like him.

"She ruined them, instead of harden warriors she gave me childish, weak offspring!", he spat in anger.

"Is that so? Well I can say she certainly knows how to please me in bed.", I replied walking away, "I will have to see for myself when our kids are born."

I didn't see it, but I could imagine the look on his face right now. Ozai hated it when things were stolen from him, the thought I was banging his widow would probably drive him mad. Sure I really wasn't, yet, but he would never be able to confirm that.

"MAEL!!", he roared like a rabid animal, "I WILL KILL YOU!!!"

Leaving him to slowly die in darkness, I snuffed out the torches and closed the door leaving him in complete darkness to curse at me.