History Recap / MortalKombat9

After the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon'', all kombatants have been killed save for two: Raiden and Shao Kahn, the latter of whom defeated Blaze and obtained godlike power. Raiden is badly beaten and near death when he enacts a final, desperate plan to prevent the destruction of all known existence that would occur with Shao Kahn's victory: using the pieces of his cracked amulet and the last of his power, he sends a series of visions back in time to his younger self, along with the message "He must win..."

During the events of the first ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 Mortal Kombat]]'', Raiden receives a cryptic message from the future, along with images of events yet to come. His amulet also begins to form cracks.

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!!Ladder Endings
[[folder:Scorpion]]
After defeating Shao Kahn, Scorpion, the death of his family and clan still weighty upon him, returned to the destroyed home village of the Shirai Ryu. There, he is approached by the ghosts of his clan, revealing that Quan Chi was the one truly responsible for his death. Enraged, Scorpion returned to the Netherrealm and killed the sorcerer.
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[[folder:Sub-Zero]]
After defeating Shao Kahn, Sub-Zero learns from Raiden the truth behind the Lin Kuei's complicity in the Shirai Ryu's extermination, as well as the demise of his own kin. With a common foe, Sub-Zero offers Scorpion a chance to ally with him to get revenge. The two proved to be an unstoppable duo, a Deadly Alliance. Although they disappeared after exacting their vengeance, they would re-emerge to champion the innocent.
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[[folder:Liu Kang]]
Liu Kang comes to believe that he is the only one able to defend Earthrealm after his victory over Shao Kahn, and that Raiden was more of a burden than an ally. He demands the Elder Gods give him Raiden's status as Earthrealm's guardian deity. In the ensuing duel with Raiden, Liu Kang won and was granted godhood.
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[[folder:Kung Lao]]
Avenging his ancestors with his victory over Shao Kahn, Kung Lao visits the grave of his most famous ancestor, the Great Kung Lao. He receives visions of the past, concluding with Goro's victory. Raiden believes Kung Lao unlocked memories of a past life as the Great Kung Lao, who finally accomplished victory for Earthrealm.
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[[folder:Johnny Cage]]
After felling Shao Kahn, Johnny Cage's body becomes flooded with energy, destroying everything around him. Even with Raiden and Nightwolf's help, there was nothing that could be done to control these sudden spurts of destructive power. Raiden sends Johnny to Seido, the Realm of Order, in the hopes that its people could teach him to control this energy. In time, Johnny would become one of the most powerful kombatants to ever live.
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[[folder:Raiden]]
Even though Shao Kahn was defeated, Earthrealm was still in ruins from merging with Outworld. With the forces of Outworld still at large, Raiden recruits four warriors, giving each a fraction of his soul, allowing him to fight Outworld's forces on a broader scale.
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[[folder:Sonya Blade]]
The war with Shao Kahn, and the deaths of her friends and allies, drives Sonya to the brink of insanity. She resigns from the Special Forces and secludes herself, but is haunted by the ghost of her missing father. With the spirit by her side, Sonya embarks on a quest to wipe out the remnants of Shao Kahn's army.
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[[folder:Jax]]
After defeating Shao Kahn, Jax, his allies missing, sought out Shao Kahn's remaining forces. While seeking them out in virtual reality, he accidentally accesses Kano's neural implants through his cybernetic eye and fights him in cyberspace, finally defeating him and locking his mind away in the Special Forces databases.
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[[folder:Kano]]
Using the money he made from selling weapons to Outworld, Kano upgrades his cybernetic implants, allowing him to mentally access global communications via his ocular implant. This unprecedented access, however, also made him vulnerable to hackers, allowing Jax to trap his mind in the Special Forces' databanks. Kano managed to break free, however, and infect the SF network like a virus and taking over their autonomous weapons.
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[[folder:Kitana]]
After killing Shao Kahn, Kitana learns that Mileena was her clone sister. Instead of killing her, however, she offered her companionship and a home in the Edenian court, as she was of royal blood. Together, Kitana, Mileena, and Jade became a force that would see justice carried out across all realms.
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[[folder:Mileena]]
Mileena unwittingly played into Shang Tsung's hands as she defeated Shao Kahn: unknown even to her, she was designed with the power to drain the emperor's power, so that after she slew Shao Kahn, he could kill her and take the power for himself. His plan backfires as Mileena used her newfound power against her creator, absorbing his soul and gaining even more power. With this new power, she sets out to kill and take the power of Raiden...
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[[folder:Baraka]]
Baraka's defeat of Shao Kahn just as Earthrealm was about to conquered enraged the Shokan and the Centaurs...except it was not Shao Kahn that Baraka slew, but Shang Tsung using the guise of the konquerer. The sorcerer hoped to take the throne through his disguise, but Baraka saw right through him. For his deeds, Baraka and his fellow Tarkatans won favor over the Centaurs.
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[[folder:Shang Tsung]]
After killing Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung absorbed his soul and his immense power. The power proves to be too much for him, and he flees to Outworld to kill himself. However, he is approached by Bo' Rai Cho, who offered to teach him to control this power, but for one purpose: after becoming a god, Liu Kang became a tyrant and had to be defeated. In time, Shang Tsung mastered the technique that would lay Liu Kang low, allowing him to take revenge.
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[[folder:Jade]]
Jade passes out after defeating Shao Kahn. In her unconsciousness, she finds herself in an eldritch realm. She approached a woman who had witnessed the events of the realms for a long time, who tells her that Shao Kahn's demise is "an outcome that must be re-imagined", and took over her physical body...
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[[folder:Nightwolf]]
After defeating Shao Kahn, Nightwolf's spirit animal seemed to vanish. He attempts to reconnect to the spirit world to reunite with it, only to find it under Shao Kahn's thrall, the konquerer taking it over to escape death. Now corrupted, Nightwolf transformed into a werewolf whose bite changed others into lycanthropes, all as part of Shao Kahn's new plan to conquer Earthrealm.
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[[folder:Stryker]]
Stryker's victory over Shao Kahn makes him a hero in Earthrealm. Although modest, he takes his newfound fame in stride as he was given awards and accolades, paparazzi following his every move, a best-selling biography, and his own line of action figures. When news of a Hollywood adaptation of his exploits hits, however, he is forced to put his foot down: under no circumstances would he allow himself to be portrayed by Johnny Cage.
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[[folder:Cyrax]]
Cyrax defected from the Lin Kuei to aid Earthrealm's champions. He is marked for death by the new grandmaster, Sektor. Although he was outnumbered and ready to accept the end, Raiden appeared to aid him with an army of a hundred Shaolin monks. In the coming battle, the Lin Kuei were defeated. Sektor, however, was nowhere to be found. Cyrax is offered sanctuary at the Wu Shi Academy, where he can continue to fight as a champion of peace.
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[[folder:Sektor]]
After defeating Shao Kahn, Sektor decides to usurp the title of Lin Kuei Grandmaster from his father. The grandmaster warns Sektor that the Dragon Medallion, the symbol of the grandmaster, granted incredible power at a cost. Sektor does not heed his father, murders him, and takes the Medallion, becoming the new Grandmaster.
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[[folder:Smoke]]
With Shao Kahn's demise, a repressed memory suddenly resurfaced within Smoke: as a young child, he had been abducted by a cult and sacrificed to a demon, which turned him into a vaporous beast known as an enenra. The creature killed his captors, then resumed a human guise, repressing this memory.
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[[folder:Kabal]]
Even though he defeated Shao Kahn, Kabal's respirator became heavily damaged. He forced Kano to tell him the identity of the cyberneticist who gave him his ocular implant, and enlists the doctor's aid to rebuild his body as a deadly cyborg.
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[[folder:Noob]]
After defeating Shao Kahn, Noob Saibot rebelled against Quan Chi. He had secretly allied with Havik and the forces of Chaosrealm, who lay low the forces of the Netherrealm, allowing Noob to gain dominion.
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[[folder:Sindel]]
With Shao Kahn's death, the spell that binded Sindel to his will broke. She undid Outworld and Edenia's merging and restored her home realm to its previous glory. The people of Outworld, amazed at her leadership, flocked to her: even though Outworld and Edenia were independent realms again, they remained merged in spirit.
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[[folder:Sheeva]]
Sheeva, recognizing the Shokan's suffering under Shao Kahn, defeated the konquerer. With his defeat, Sheeva could lead the Shokan to a new home in Earthrealm. In exchange for a new home in Australia, Sheeva volunteered to aid Earthrealm against future threats. Sheeva, herself, became a hero among her people.
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[[folder:Ermac]]
Shao Kahn's demise frees Ermac from his control. Without that control, the souls within him began to fight among themselves for dominance. Eventually, one soul quelled the chaos within him, and Ermac returned to Outworld to reunite with his past: the soul that emerged most dominant within Ermac was that of King Jerrod, ruler of Edenia, husband of Sindel, and father of Kitana. Although Jerrod remains dead, Ermac would prove to be a capable guardian of Edenia.
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[[folder:Quan Chi]]
With Shao Kahn's death, Quan Chi proceeds to add the souls of those who died during Outworld's campaign to invade Earthrealm to the ranks of the Brotherhood of Shadow, manipulating them to serve his master, the fallen Elder God Shinnok. After completing this task, Shinnok orders Quan Chi executed, so that he wouldn't pose a threat later. Quan Chi, however, had a contingency plan: the resurrection of Shao Kahn, eliminating Shinnok and his followers.
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[[folder:Reptile]]
Reptile's victory over Shao Kahn makes him a feared kombatant. With Shang Tsung's aid, he revives the Zaterran race. In time, Shang Tsung had created an army of Zaterrans, who, under Reptile's command, slew any Outworlder that opposed his dominance. Reptile cared little for how his former comrades suffered, for he was among his people once again.
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[[folder:Kratos]]
The VideoGame/GodOfWar, Kratos, defeats Shao Kahn. As the spell that summoned him begins to fade and he vanishes back to his own reality, he is approached by Raiden and Fujin. Although he's ready to fight the gods, he is actually shown respect by them, a surprise to one who had been scorned by gods in the past. They offer him a debt of gratitude for defending Earthrealm, a debt that Kratos plans to collect on one day...
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[[folder:Cyber Sub-Zero]]
Even though the Cyberized Sub-Zero defeated Shao Kahn, the konquerer's soul invades his cybernetics and takes control of his body. The might of cryomancy, cybernetics, and dark magic combine to turn Sub-Zero into a vicious tyrant.
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[[folder:Skarlet]]
Skarlet eliminates her master Shao Kahn on Quan Chi's orders, but when she is released from his control, she realizes the ruination she brought to Outworld. However, she gains Shao Kahn's power through his blood splattered on her body, Skarlet fights back against Quan Chi and the Brotherhood of Shadow. With blood from fallen Brotherhood members increasing her power, Skarlet gets revenge against Quan Chi. Having avenged Shao Kahn, she vanishes, awaiting his rebirth.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Kenshi]]
Kenshi's victory over Shao Kahn averts Armageddon, but his revenge with Shang Tsung remains unexacted. With Jax's aid, and in exchange for joining the newly-formed Outworld Investigation Agency, Kenshi uses a specially-designed inter-realm portal. He tracks down Shang Tsung and kills him, reclaiming the souls of his ancestors within his sword, Sento.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Rain]]
Rain helped Shao Kahn put down the Edenian resistance, but was not given his own army: thus, Rain killed Shao Kahn. Raiden, grateful to Rain for defeating the konquerer, revealed to him that he is the demigod descendant of the Elder God Argus. With divine blood flowing within him, Rain decides to raise Shao Kahn's army to conquer all realms, starting with Earthrealm.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Freddy Krueger]]
After defeating Shao Kahn, Freddy is banished back to the Dream Realm by Nightwolf. A poor decision, as the Dream Realm was Freddy's home turf, where his dark magic was at its strongest. The [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet nightmare on Elm Street]] will soon spread throughout Earthrealm once more. Sweet dreams!

After the events of ''VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon'', all kombatants have been killed save for two: Raiden and Shao Kahn, the latter of whom defeated Blaze and obtained godlike power. Raiden is badly beaten and near death when he enacts a final, desperate plan to prevent the destruction of all known existence that would occur with Shao Kahn's victory: using the pieces of his cracked amulet and the last of his power, he sends a message back in time to his younger self. The message was simply "He must win..."

With the commencement of the Mortal Kombat tournament that would determine Earthrealm's fate, Johnny Cage, an actor from Hollywood, is called to take part in the first fights of the tournament. Cage manages to defeat the Tarkatan warrior Baraka and the Zaterran ninja Reptile, but when instructed by the host Shang Tsung to finish them, Cage balks. He is congratulated by Raiden and his charge, the Shaolin monk Liu Kang, who both warn him that Earthrealm is in peril. Cage, however, doesn't take the warning seriously and goes to pursue a woman he became smitten with: Sonya Blade.

Sonya, however, is unreceptive to Johnny's advances: she came to the Mortal Kombat tournament in search of her superior officer, Jackson "Jax" Briggs. When she is ambushed by the notorious Kano, however, Johnny Cage fends him off, earning him Sonya's begrudging respect.

Jax had been taken prisoner on the island where the Mortal Kombat tournament is being held. She finds him in Goro's layer, but is confronted by Shang Tsung and forced to fight the Lin Kuei cryomancer Sub-Zero. Raiden appears to aid Sonya, and receives a vision: one of Liu Kang's victory over Shang Tsung. When Raiden tries to caution Sonya against fighting Shang Tsung, she attacks Raiden instead. Raiden shows that he is on her side by aiding her in rescuing Jax. They are confronted by Kitana and Jade, but Sonya fends them off and calls for an evac. Her escape chopper is shot down by Shang Tsung, however, who forces Sonya to fight Kano. Even though Sonya defeats and detains Kano, the Black Dragon leader is rescued by Shang Tsung.

After the fights, Raiden explains to the Earthrealm warriors that he is receiving messages from the future, one that paints a grim fate for Earthrealm, if not all of existence. For the time being, however, he believes the best course of action is to allow events to play themselves out...

The following day, the tournament continues, with the revenant shinobi Scorpion called to fight. Scorpion came to the tournament for a singular purpose: to fight, and kill, Sub-Zero. After fending off Kung Lao (who snuck into the tournament in spite of not being nominated to fight for the White Lotus) and Nightwolf, Raiden has a vision of Sub-Zero's death and return as the undead menace Noob Saibot. He approaches Scorpion and beseeches him to spare Sub-Zero's life, offering to petition the Elder Gods to revive his clan and family, the Shirai Ryu, in exchange.

Afterwards, Scorpion fights two Lin Kuei assassins, Cyrax and Sektor. After fending them off, he confronts Sub-Zero and drags him to the Netherrealm. He defeats Sub-Zero, but decides to spare him. Quan Chi, a sorcerer who came to the tournament with Scorpion, questions his decision and shows him visions of the Lin Kuei's extermination of the Shirai Ryu, with Sub-Zero being personally responsible for the deaths of his wife and child. In spite of Sub-Zero's pleas of innocence, Scorpion's rage gets the better of him: when he returns from the Netherrealm, all that remains of Sub-Zero is a charred skull and spine.

Cyrax, one of Sub-Zero's allies, vows to get back at Scorpion. Raiden, however, chastises him for his clan's perchance for "ruinous decisions", including the Cyber Initiative: a project to convert all Lin Kuei into cyborgs, and he questions his allegiance with Shang Tsung...

Cyrax's conversation with Raiden is overheard by Baraka and Sheeva, who determine him to be a liability to Outworld's interests and ambush him. Cyrax fends them off. Afterwards, Cyrax confronts Shang Tsung, who is in talks with Sektor. Shang Tsung is displeased at Cyrax conversing with Raiden, but Sektor ensures him that he will do as instructed: specifically, to kill Johnny Cage.

Cyrax emerges victorious over Cage, but refuses to kill him. Sektor confronts him over his rebellious actions against the Lin Kuei, but Cyrax defeats him and declares his leaving the Lin Kuei.

Liu Kang is now the sole Earthrealm warrior left in the Mortal Kombat tournament. After defeating Ermac, Raiden receives the message "He must win" from his future self, and believes the messages he is receive mean that Liu Kang must win the Mortal Kombat tournament in order to avert disaster later.

Meanwhile, Shang Tsung is almost executed by Shao Kahn for his failure to win. Shang Tsung, however, hatches a cunning new plan, one that may see victory for the Outworld emperor yet...

At the White Lotus temple, while the warriors of Earthrealm celebrate their victory, Shang Tsung, his youth restored by Shao Kahn, approaches Raiden with a proposal: one final Mortal Kombat. If Outworld wins, they immediately gain the right to merge with Earthrealm; but if Earthrealm wins, Outworld would have to forfeit any right to conquer Earthrealm forever. Raiden dismisses the offer, but is forced to accept when Shang Tsung forces his hand by having Tarkatans attack the White Lotus temple and kidnap Sonya, which also pulls Jax into the fray.

Raiden, deciding that events at this tournament must play out differently than in his visions, brings Jax and Johnny Cage with him to Outworld, where the final tournament would be held. Jax fends off Baraka, but the tournament is postponed when Shang Tsung is forced to attend to other matters.

Raiden receives a vision of Sonya about to be executed, and teleports himself, Cage, and Jax to Shao Kahn's armory in search of her. After getting into a fight with Cage when he insists Jax was more than a "superior officer" to Sonya, he is confronted by Jade, whom he defeats.

Jax then fights Sheeva at the Dead Pool and defeats her. He finds Sonya and rescues her.

Sonya's wrist device picks up two foreign signatures having arrived in Earthrealm...

The two split up, and Smoke is attacked by Kitana. After fending her off, he finds Kano and Shang Tsung in the Living Forest, making a transaction: Kano offers high-tech weapons to Shang Tsung and the forces of Outworld in exchange for a nominal fee. When Smoke demands to know Sub-Zero's location, Kano steps in to fight him, but is defeated. He then fights both Reptile and Shang Tsung, who adopts Sub-Zero's form. After fending them off, he is ambushed by Sektor, who has now been converted into a cyborg, as per the Cyber Initiative. Sektor demands Smoke return to be Cyberized, but is rescued by Raiden, who received a grim vision of Smoke being forcibly Cyberized. Smoke decides to ally himself with Raiden as they set off to find Sub-Zero...

Sub-Zero is accosted by Cyrax, who has also been Cyberized, but is aided by Sonya and Jax, who explain that his older brother was murdered by Scorpion. They are then confronted by Ermac, who uses their psychic powers to rip Jax's arms off of his body. After fending off Cyrax, Sub-Zero tells Sonya and Jax to escape from Outworld, while he goes to the coliseum to confront Scorpion.

When Sub-Zero demands Scorpion, Shao Kahn makes him fight Reptile instead. After fending off the Zaterran, Shao Kahn agrees to oblige Sub-Zero's demands and Quan Chi summons Scorpion. In the ensuing fight, Sub-Zero emerges victorious, but before he can finish Scorpion, he is accosted by the Cyberized Lin Kuei, who offer their services to Shao Kahn in exchange for Sub-Zero.

Kitana is scolded by her father, Shao Kahn, for her failure to prevent intrusion of Earthrealm warriors. After getting into an argument with her friend Jade, Kitana is approached by Raiden and his allies. Determined to redeem herself, Kitana fights both Smoke and Johnny Cage. Before she can finish them, however, Raiden advises Kitana to go to Shang Tsung's Flesh Pits, a place she is forbidden to enter.

Her curiosity peaked, Kitana heads to the Flesh Pits. She is confronted by Jade in the Living Forest, who begs her to turn back, but Kitana fends her off and makes her way to the Flesh Pits. There, she finds that Shang Tsung had created a clone of her, albeit one enfused with Tarkatan blood: the clone looks exactly like her, except for her amber slitted eyes and her large mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth.

The clone attacks her, but Kitana fends it off. She is then confronted by Shang Tsung, whom she subdues and places before Shao Kahn to face judgment. To her horror, however, Shang Tsung is praised for his clone, dubbed "Mileena". In addition, Shao Kahn is not her father: she was merely adopted by him after Outworld's konquest of her home realm of Edenia, where she was the daughter of its king. Shao Kahn orders Kitana executed at the Coliseum.

Jade, having overheard the truth behind Kitana, vows to rescue her. She goes to the Tower where she is to be held, fighting off Baraka and Sheeva along the way. When she reaches her, Kitana tells Jade to seek out Raiden. After fending off Mileena, Jade rendezvouzs with Raiden, fending off Smoke, who mistakingly believes her to have attacked Kitana.

Liu Kang and Kung Lao make for the Tower to rescue Kitana while the other Earthrealm warriors go to the Coliseum to fight in the tournament. Together, they fend off Sheeva, the resurrected wraith of the elder Sub-Zero known as Noob Saibot, and a vengeful Goro. They learn from Goro that Kitana had been taken to the Coliseum to be executed.

Both Shaolin go to the Coliseum as things look grim for Earthrealm, with Johnny Cage and Smoke bested, and Sonya and an injured Jax having already fled. When Shao Kahn demands a new opponent from Raiden, the Thunder God elects Liu Kang. Liu Kang, however, doesn't believe he is the one destined to win, and goes to save Kitana. Raiden then selects Kung Lao to fight in the tournament. Lao goes up against the Deadly Alliance of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, as well as Outworld's new champion, the Shokan Kintaro. He emerges victorious, but is suddenly killed by Shao Kahn.

Enraged, Liu Kang challenged Shao Kahn to Mortal Kombat. He manages to land a devestating blow upon Shao Kahn, driving his fist through his torso, killing the tyrant, winning the tournament and forevermore securing Earthrealm's future...

To make matters worse, Shao Kahn survived his injury with the aid of Quan Chi, and is absolutely livid about Shang Tsung's gambit backfiring, causing him to lose any right to merge Earthrealm with Outworld. Quan Chi, however, has a new plan: supercede the Elder Gods' authority and invade Earthrealm directly. The plan seems impossible at first, since Sindel, the queen of Edenia and Shao Kahn's bride following the realm's konquest, placed a protective ward on the realm when she killed herself to spite Shao Kahn. With Quan Chi's necromancy, however, he could not only undo the protection by resurrecting her, but ensure she remains loyal to Shao Kahn. The plan succeeds, and Earthrealm's invasion begins not long after...

Kurtis Stryker is a police officer in Earthrealm fighting a desperate battle against the forces of Outworld, along with his partner Kabal. They fend off Reptile from the rooftops, and Mileena in the streets. Kintaro appears and burns Kabal with his firey breath, but he is laid low by Stryker, who is then ambushed by Ermac. After fending off Ermac, Stryker is approached by Raiden and Nightwolf, who ask for his aid. While reluctant, Stryker agrees to assist, but wants to check on Kabal first. When he goes to where he last saw Kabal, however, he finds that he is now missing...

Kabal approaches Shang Tsung, but is attacked by Mileena and Nopb. He fends them off, but is then attacked by Sub-Zero, who had been Cyberized following his capture by the cyborg Lin Kuei. After defeating him, then fending off Sheeva, he is rescued by Raiden, who brings him and Sub-Zero to a church where the Earthrealm warriors are being sheltered.

At Smoke's insistance, Jax reprograms Sub-Zero to restore his free will. When Sub-Zero awakens, he is remorseful for the acts he was forced to commit in Shao Kahn's name after being Cyberized. Stryker suggests having Sub-Zero work as Earthrealm's mole in Outworld, a plan Sub-Zero agrees to participate in.

Upon returning to Outworld, however, Sektor realizes that Sub-Zero had been reprogrammed. He takes him back to Earthrealm and attempts to undo Jax's modifications, but Sub-Zero subdues him and hacks into his neural net, learning that Outworld forces have gathered several Earthrealm military personell at a church. He goes there and fends off Goro, Kintaro, and Ermac. He learns from the soldiers that others had been taken to a nearby cemetary.

There, he finds Quan Chi preparing to create a Soulnado that would absorb all souls in Earthrealm. He is confronted by his undead elder brother, Noob, but manages to fend him off. Unfortunately, Quan Chi completes the spell and generates the Soulnado.

While Raiden and Liu Kang are away, the Earthrealm warriors are ambushed by Sindel and the Lin Kuei. Nightwolf fends off Sektor and Cyrax, but Sindel manages to kill most of the Earthrealm warriors, save for Nightwolf, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and a gravely-injured Kitana.

Raiden travels to the Netherrealm, where he is confronted by Scorpion. He chastises the revanent shinobi for his subserviance to Quan Chi and fights him off. When Quan Chi approaches him, Raiden asks for his aid, offering the souls of Earthrealm's fallen warriors. Quan Chi, however, already claimed their souls through a deal with Shao Kahn: they now joined Netherrealm's forces as revanents. After fending off the revanent warriors, Quan Chi inadvertedly clues Raiden in on the true meaning behind the future message: "He must win" does not refer to anyone defeating Shao Kahn, but to Shao Kahn's successful konquest of Earthrealm. If Shao Kahn tried to merge the realms without ten consecutive Mortal Kombat victories, the Elder Gods would be forced to intervene!

Raiden returns to Earthrealm to tell Liu Kang that Shao Kahn must be allowed to merge Outworld with Earthrealm. This proves to be the final straw for Liu Kang, who tries to attack Shao Kahn before he can enter Earthrealm. Raiden stops him, and the two come to blows. Raiden uses an electrical barrier to fend off a firey punch from Liu Kang, but accidentally sics his flames back on him, injuying him greatly. Liu Kang curses Raiden before dying, just as Shao Kahn emerges in Earthrealm.

Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade try to fight Shao Kahn, but are rebuffed with ease. Raiden, realizing he can't win, leaves himself to Shao Kahn's mercy. After pummelling him in a similar manner to the grim future Raiden foresaw, Shao Kahn prepares to kill him. However, the Elder Gods finally intervene, acting through Raiden's body and fighting Shao Kahn.

Skarlet eliminates her master Shao Kahn on Quan Chi's orders, but when she is released from his control, she realizes the ruination she brought to Outworld. However, she gains Shao Kahn's power through his blood smattered on her body, Skarlet fights back against Quan Chi and the Brotherhood of Shadow. With blood from fallen Brotherhood members increasing her power, Skarlet gets revenge against Quan Chi. Having avenged Shao Kahn, she vanishes, awaiting his rebirth.

Stryker's victory over Shao Kahn makes him a hero in Earthrealm. Although modest, he takes his newfound fame in stride as he was given awards and accolades, paparazzi following his every move, , a best-selling biography, and his own line of action figures. When news of a Hollywood adaptation of his exploits hits, however, he is forced to put his foot down: under no circumstances would he allow himself to be portrayed by Johnny Cage.

[[folder:Jax]]
After defeating Shao Kahn, Jax, his allies missing, sought out Shao Kahn's remaining forces. While seeking them out in virtual reality, he accidentally accesses Kano's neural implants through his cybernetic eye and fights him in cyberspace, finally defeating him and locking his mind away in the Special Forces databases.
[[/folder]]

Liu Kang comes to believe that he is the only one able to defend Earthrealm after his victory over Shao Kahn, and that Raiden was more of a burden than an ally. He demands the Elder Gods give him the Raiden's status as Earthrealm's guardian deity. In the ensuing duel with Raiden, Liu Kang won and was granted godhood.

After defeating Shao Kahn, Freddy is banished back to the Dream Realm by Nightwolf. A poor decision, as the Dream Realm was Freddy's home turf, where his dark magic was at its strongest. The NightmareOnElmStreet will soon spread throughout Earthrealm once more. Sweet dreams!

Kenshi's victory over Shao Kahn averts Armageddon, but his revenge with Shang Tsung remains unexacted. With Jax's aid, and in exchange for joining the newly-formed Outworld Investigation Agency, Kenshi uses a specially-designed inter-realm portal, he tracks down Shang Tsung and kills him, reclaiming the souls of his ancestors within his sword, Sento.

After eliminating Shao Kahn on Quan Chi's orders, but when she is released from his control, she realizes the ruination she brought to Outworld. However, she gains Shao Kahn's power through his blood smattered on her body, Skarlet fights back against Quan Chi and the Brotherhood of Shadow. With blood from fallen Brotherhood members increasing her power, Skarlet gets revenge against Quan Chi. Having avenged Shao Kahn, she vanishes, awaiting his rebirth.

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