Crumbling to the ground with no more restraint, Kauai Liang was in deep pain as his ribs, arms, and every organ of his body that could already be considered essential for survival was torn apart with no remorse, all courtesy of a particular demonic entity standing before him.
Having just fought Quan Chi with all his might, he had severely underestimated how dangerous the devil could be, which led to his current predicament. With a menacing and terrifying gleam in his eyes, Quan Chi slowly approached the young man with his hands set ablaze.
"You were a formidable opponent, far more impressive than Bi-Han." He sputtered. Hearing his brother's name from his sworn enemy didn't alleviate him by any means, only to fuel his anger toward the necromancer. "However, you lacked strength, as all the members of the Lin Kuei did, and now you will face the same fate as your brother." He slowly closed his eyes as the ice started to crawl out of his body. It occurred to him that this outcome would eventually happen, yet that didn't stop him from proving himself to his fellow warriors.
He had sneaked out to the world of nether realm, having just vanquished his brother, who had recently become a wraith dubbed Noob Saibot; he sought the demon who was the cause of all this mess to finish him once and for all.
Alas, he had made a grave mistake in facing him, for he proved to be far exceeding what he initially expected, which led to his current beaten-up state.
But, at last, he did not feel sorrow or regret, for his life had already found purpose throughout his journey and search. He had found Lord Raiden, the God of Thunder, and had fought alongside him and his allies to thwart all threats to Earthrealm.
He had become a warrior, a hero for his people, and a grandmaster for his clan. He had chosen a path that would've made his kind reject and loath him for his choice.
However, he didn't care. His brother chose the name Sub-Zero to remember their ancestor who decided to think for himself. When his brother died, he decided to take up the mantle as well—to remember his brother, honor him, and always choose to think for himself.
He was here for a reason. He was here to fight, shatter the beast and illusion before him—for Earthrealm, Smoke, and everyone he had ever known since coming here.
With his last remaining strength, Sub-Zero stood up and faced his opponent with a new gleam in his eyes. The air grew frigid, and ice started manifesting across his body.
He was aching, his mind blurring, but he didn't fall yet; he couldn't. Despite his pain, despite the despair and sorrow lingering deep within his soul, he rushed forth toward Quan Chi as he raised his fists.
He fought relentlessly, aiming countless punches and kicks with a surplus of frost toward the deadly demon. He shot an ice blast toward the necromancer, freezing the area they were standing into its core. Yet that did not stop him as he remained unfazed by such an attack.
Grunting, Kuai summoned an ice spear and began thrusting forth with his Chi-infused strength. Shockwaves and icy mist eventually appeared by proxy.
A green-blazed skull was shot forward from Quan Chi's hand in response, and as it struck the young warrior, an explosion occurred, which propelled him backward.
"Ugh!" Truthfully, he had already figured out that the demon was leagues above him regarding their prowess. Having fought for countless eons, it was unsurprising that Quan Chi would outclass him in every right.
But that did not give him enough reason to stop. He resurrected his brother into what could only be described as a mindless, vicious monster and eventually killed him once again, and he couldn't come to terms with himself with that in mind.
The cryomancer leaped into the air, appeared near the demon, and slammed his hands at the ground, sending a wave of ice spikes toward the entity.
He had battled him for hours now, and although he was heavily injured and broken from all places, he still had strength to spare. Strength that was restlessly honed and mastered for years to no end since the day he was born. Strength that would undoubtedly make even the most fearsome warrior think twice before crossing paths with him.
But to his dismay, Quan Chi fought back with a strength far surpassing his own.
"RAHH!" The atrocious scream reverberated throughout the area, and as soon as it entered his ears, Quan Chi threw green flames at him. They struck his shoulder with so much intensity that it would've instantly burned any normal person.
But he was no normal human; he was a fighter in his own right. And, as a fighter, he vowed to exceed the flames that once would overcome his will.
The flames slowly dispersed as his ice grew even more frigid; he manifested an axe and began swinging it back and forth toward the demon, which he effortlessly dodged.
Quan Chi, however, strayed away from harm and leaped high into the air before reappearing above Sub-Zero and stomping him numerous times with an amalgamation of kicks, sending the young cryomancer backward with a cry of pain.
"Hmph, too easy." The demon grabbed him by the neck, and he began tightening his grip. From afar, he could perceive the rest of his allies running in his direction, with the God of Thunder on the front lines.
"Kuei Liang, you fool!" He gazed in anger as his disciple started to die in the hands of the one he vowed to destroy.
And, just as he was about to succumb to death, an abundance of memories flooded his mind as he began remembering his past, starting from his early life in America up to his betrayal of the clan.
He had tried to fight the demon alone, and now he would pay the price for acting so foolishly.
A sad look plastered his face as he looked over his fellow warriors, all of which included his clan members, who could only watch in horror and disbelief as their master was dying.
Scorpion glared at Quan Chi as he ran forward with his Kunei.
Kung Lao dashed toward the monstrous entity with killing intent.
Raiden rushed forth at lightning speed.
But it was all too late.
'Bi-Han, Lord Raiden, Tomas… I'm sorry…' With that last thought in his mind, he erupted into dark flames. The last thing he heard was the sound of his own voice screaming.
…
An endless black void surrounded the horizon as a singular figure could be seen.
The figure's eyes glowed bright as they stood amongst the dark expanse. A frown was visible on their face as they held their hand on their chin.
Liu Kang was undoubtedly disappointed and frustrated by this outcome. He had long since started observing this strange 'replica' of his previous timeline, with this one being slightly more diverging and serene. And although it was great at first, it started going haywire near the end with the fight against Quan Chi.
In the aftermath of his battle against Kronika, the time fabric itself ripped apart and consequently created multiple timelines, each vastly different. As though it couldn't get more complicated, even more timelines were being forged now as he stood here, all due to a mishap he had with his companions with the former Titan.
Several timelines now reside within this vast multiverse. Although the former Shaolin Monk might have won against the one who made this mess, it simply was way out of his control to fix and reshape this issue as he pleases, at least for now.
Having just become Keeper of Time, his duty was to protect the hourglass from harm and restart his timeline anew, reshaping its history, recrafting nebulas and galaxies, and defending his realm and its inhabitants with all his might after accomplishing the former task. Involving himself with the other timelines would only bring havoc and chaos to his beloved creations.
However, after witnessing firsthand the unfairness of this specific timeline, he decided to act for the first time in millennia.
Kuai Liang had perished, which surprisingly wasn't to his expectations. The young warrior was undeserving of such fate, for his skills were far too promising and significant to the point the God of Fire briefly considered personally recruiting him to defend and protect Earthrealm at some point.
But that would not be possible now, for those who perish among the living fade away with their existence from every timeline completely wiped to oblivion.
...Unless outside help was involved, of course.
Liu Kang smiled eagerly as he swiftly and gracefully circularly moved his hands.
"Let me aid you once more, Sub-Zero."
The dark expanse exploded into an array of light and stars as countless nebulas and galaxies started manifesting from thin air, all with the simple hand sway of the God of Fire.
Simultaneously, ice started creeping up from the darkness before it became a figure, one wholly frozen in place with his eyes closed. Standing idly and covered in his specialty, Kuei Liang stood idly as Liu Kang gazed at him quietly from a distance.
"I couldn't bear seeing such injustice; that is why, Kuei Liang, I have granted you a second chance in life, taking full responsibility for my decision."
The ice started to break slowly, cracking as if made of glass, before completely shattering as white light erupted from the once-frozen body.
"Now go and live your life as you see fit. Weave your own path forward and forget your long-lost past, for your destiny starts anew." With those last words hanging in the darkness, the light finally flew skyward, striking the darkness as a pillar of light before ultimately disappearing into the newly formed galaxies.
"May the Elder Gods be with you."
The last thing he saw was a bustling street full of lives before quickly disappearing into the darkness.