I know that MK X is almost out and we have a few glimpses of what the storyline is about, but this is what I would have done. Bare with me for this storyline, although it will definitely not be anywhere close to what the creators have in mind. As the number of characters introduced so far is 64, I think it's perfect for a tournament. Just that instead of Blaze (for reasons established below), I would use Monster, the champion of the Elder Gods from MK Deception.
After the battle against Shao Kahn is won with the help of the Elder Gods, the Outworld forces are repelled from a war-thorn Earthrealm. The souls that Shao Kahn had enslaved and offered to Quan Chi are allowed to ascend to the Heavens, but Liu Kang's soul is fueled with rage because of Raiden's actions and refuses. Let's see where all players are:
Heavens: Kung Lao, Sub-Zero, Kitana, Jax, Nightwolf, Kabal, Stryker, Smoke and Jade are welcomed into the afterlife by a few low-rank deities, among which Fujin, who is permitted to enter the Heavens. The characters are separated and each learns different things: each of them have lived many lives before and are reincarnated into their current selves. Their memories are coming back but not all at once, as Fujin tells them that they have an eternity to study their past adventures. Stryker may find out that in a previous life he was a Seidan (influenced by his cameo in Deception), Nightwolf may even have been a saurian when they roamed the Earth, Kabal a vampire and so on. They are some of the most powerful souls that ever lived and they all chose to be born on Earthrealm in the last generation because they felt Armageddon was closing in. This would explain why the greatest fighters in the universe are mostly from Earth. The heavens are not an actual realm, its reality is created by the collective thoughts of its inhabitants. Anything they wish for is achievable and imagination runs from making impossible jumps to flying and to creating suspended gardens. The inhabitants of the Heavens all look like small children because this is the basic human form that lacks any trait of evil. However, they can transform themselves into anything they imagine. One transforms into Sonya's dead father and embraces her, other relatives from past lives come forth to the others. Fujin explains to them that there are over 300 realms in the Universe that the Elder Gods preside over and the righteous souls from all of these realms are allowed into the Heavens after death, where they live in peace and harmony without physical needs or worries about what happens inside the realms, completely letting go. Some souls cannot completely forget their previous lives and after a period in the Heavens feel that their mission is not complete and choose to reincarnate and live a different life, although they can't choose where and when. The heroes learn that they were all the greatest fighters of the time periods from their previous lives but they had all lived millenia apart from one another. This time however they had all been reincarnated in the same time period. Kitana even encounters her mother Sindel, free from the spell that bound her to obey the Emperor. Because of her selfless actions from when she was alive, Sindel having created a magical ward preventing Shao Kahn from entering Earthrealm, she is allowed eternal rest. She asks for forgiveness for what she has done during the events of MK9 and Kitana and the others, now fully aware of the insignificant physical existence, grant it to her. Kung Lao, still concerned about Earthrealm's fate, asks an audience with the Elder Gods but Fujin tells him to leave behind his former life and accept his current state, to be free and at peace, for the Heavens are a place beyond the powers of evil. As the players spend several weeks and come to terms with their situation, children from the Heavens take them to a imagined green landscape where Kung Lao creates a replica of the Wu Shi Academy. Suddenly, the skies turn darker, a cold wind passes them as portals opens everywhere and legions of demons and oni spring forth, to the horror of the angelic beings in Heaven who try to run away in all directions. As much as they try to change the scenery, they cannot expel the demons from their collective imagination. Standing in the midst of the fighting, Fujin cannot believe that this is happening and asks himself “How could the Elder Gods not have foreseen this?”
Earthrealm: Raiden, wearing a suit and tie and acting as a diplomat, addresses the UN Council following the war that has ravaged the Earth. The public is now aware that higher powers exist in the universe. The Presidents of the United States and China, being the puppets of highly secretive organizations such as the Red Dragon and the Lin Kuei, like the previous Presidents before them, reject Raiden's advice to shut down all portals built with current technology, instead preparing a massive military operation into the realms of Outworld and Edenia in order to conquer them, seemingly in the name of peace. Sonya, having deserted the Special Forces after surviving an assassination attempt by her superiors through Hsu Hao and other Special Forces corrupted agents, has assembled a group of dissidents dedicated to Raiden and the White Lotus society, but labeled as terrorists by the UN. They break into a military base in the Arktic where they discover that the US military has uncovered and unfroze the corpse of a saurian who, although dead, keeps shifting his form from human to reptilian and back. Sonya's military group has also successfully restored Cyrax's mental functions and he, together with Kenshi have joined her. Sektor has undergone the same procedure as Cyrax but has escaped the custody of Sonya's team. Free from control, he kills his father and takes the Dragon medallion. Kano helps Jarek escape from prison and we are shown that they are father and son, Kano calling him his Legacy. Jarek has a strong desire to prove himself to his father. Kai returns to China and takes over the mantle of Shaolin champion. Johnny Cage recounts his wild adventures to his stuntman, Mokap, who, although keeps his nickname, gets a proper f*ing name (the way Smoke got Tomas Vrbada) and a story about how he was Johnny's only equal. Cage has visions of the future and of Shinnok attacking Earthrealm and only himself being left to stand in his way. As no fighter has experienced such visions before, could it be that Cage possesses hidden powers that even surpass those of Liu Kang? Raiden helps Ermac, who had remained stranded in Earthrealm, remember his true past. King Jerrod's personality takes over and mourns the death of his family. Even though he wishes to die, he is convinced by Raiden to aid Earth's cause.
Outworld: In the aftermath of Shao Kahn's demise, the realm is ravaged by civil war. The Shokans (led by a triumvirate of Goro, Kintaro and Sheeva in a Draco-Tigrar alliance) are fighting the Centaurs of Motaro, while the Tarkata of Baraka and Reiko's remaining troops are fighting the rebel humans, led by Bo'rai'cho and his apprentice, Li Mei. Khameleon finds Reptile and convinces him to leave his life of evil behind and run to a distant realm where to repopulate their race; they try to evade Outworld but they are unable to reach a portal undetected and are arrested by Reiko's forces. Onaga awakens as Shujinko has had some help in finding the final Kamidogu earlier and takes over the body of the guardian of the egg, Blaze, mutating it into a dragon body (with Reptile in the dungeons there is only Blaze in the proximity of the egg). Onaga assembles his undefeatable army and marches straight to the Outworld throne, Reiko's forces abandoning their positions, the general himself running to the Netherealm. The Dragon King finds Reptile and Khameleon in the dungeons and reveals that saurians are the descendants of dragons and Shao Kahn's hatred for Onaga lead to the genocide of their race. They swear loyalty to the Dragon King. Hotaru allies Seido with Onaga as well and troops from Outworld cross into Orderealm to crush the Resistance. Nitara, the emmisary sent by Vaeternus to offer the allegiance of the vampire race in return for a percentage of the blood of humans from the conquered worlds, informs the Dragon King that Shinnok's Amulet is being held in Earthrealm, in the Temple of Elements, as far as the vampire chronicles are aware. Outworld is united once more under one ruler, but Motaro, who was winning the war feels that the new order brings too much power to shokans.
Edenia: Mileena receives help from a certain sorcerer to change her face and assumes the throne as Queen Kitana, naming Tanya General of the Edenian army. Rain is informed by Ermac, who wants his help in rebuilding the realm, that his father was the god Argus, protector of Edenia. Having become skilled in sorcery, Tanya learns that he is not however the product of infidelity, but rather that of dark magic a powerful demoness had conjured more than 10.000 years ago, using his father's blood (I think this goes better with the character of Argus, who loved his wife). Argus rescued the boy from the Netherealm where he was forged by the demon sorceress and had faith that the taint of evil will disappear from him. Argus took the child to Edenia but trusted no one with the secret that the child was half god and half demonic, making him the most powerful entity living in all the realms. He instead made up the lie about infidelity and entrusted Rain to be raised by one of his loyal generals. Rain and Tanya lower themselves into the depths of Hell where he accesses the ancient rune stones created by his “mother” that grant him unspeakable power. They were meant for him all along. Rain takes the mantle of Protector of Edenia and statues of him are being built for veneration, even though many remember him to be a traitor. Mileena desires a marriage alliance with Rain, who contemplates whether to accept. Orin has awoken Taven sensing that Blaze doesn't exist anymore (in the first timeline Blaze had always been sensed alive by Orin, even though he was under the spell). Taven returns to his native realm and recognizes Mileena posing as the Kitana, but barely escapes the realm with his life. Motaro makes an alliance with Edenia.
Seido: The forces of Hotaru, named by the Senate grand General, and those of Darrius, leader of the Resistance, are engaged in civil war.
Chaosrealm: Havik gives Dairou instructions about the location of the Constitution, telling him to take a few with Darrius' men willing to die for their cause and steal it. When asked of how he knows about its location, Havik responds that his God, Kochal, has told him so.
Netherealm: Shao Kahn's soul has descended to the lowest planes. If in Outworld he could not be defeated, here his powers were not the same. He tried to remain hidden but Shinnok had spies everywhere. Soon, the Elder God and his entire army were upon him. To prove their loyalty, Shinnok demanded that Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, descended into Hell and now sworn to him, fight the former Emperor, much to the dismay of the 2 sorcerers to work together. Shao Kahn pleads to Reiko to save him, but his former trusted general now stands by Shinnok as well, telling him that for to many years he has followed his lead and it is time that Outworld changes Emperors. Shao Kahn is bested by the two sorcerers. He is given a chance to be a puppet for the fallen Elder God but he refuses and is beaten, chained and constantly tormented as oni feast upon his flesh continuously, until “he will learn to obey”. Shinnok has a formidable army at his command: Quan Chi, who is demanded by Shinnok to accept working with his rival sorcerer Shang Tsung, as well as Scorpion, Noob Saibot (ripped apart by the soulnado, his soul thrown back into the Netherealm), Reiko, Drahmin, Moloch, Meat (although not evil by nature he was actually last seen in Hell). Quan Chi also visits one by one living characters like Daegon and Mavado, Sektor, Frost, Kira, Kobra and Chameleon ensuring that they are prepared for the war against the Gods and commanding them to aid the Dragon Emperor if Earthrealm attacks Outworld, Shinnok's reasons for this help remaining hidden. They can't rely anymore on the obedience of Rain, who by this time has become a major player by this point and has Mileena, Tanya and Motaro by his side. Tensions between Quan Chi and Shang Tsung escalate, exactly as Shinnok had planed. Ashrah helps Sareena escape the torture chamber where she was being held (since MK Mythologies) and they run to the depths of Hell to escape the Brotherhood of the Shadow. They are overwhelmed and almost fed upon when Skarlet decapitates the demons chasing them. She offers to show them a way out of Hell that only she knows, but first they must help her free Shao Kahn. Asrah is reluctant but compels. The trio of women infiltrate Shinnok's tower, defeat the oni gurading it and release the Emperor of Outworld from his chains. Skarlet's love, lust and dedication for Shao Kahn know no limits.
Act 1
Dairou manages to steal the Declaration of Order and bring it to the Resistance. However, Hotaru assembles his forces and those of the Dragon King and civil war ensues. Damashi (Onaga) appears to Dairou and guides him to a secret facility where Darrius operates from. There, he finds recordings of him and his family and pieces together that the Resistance is actually guilty for their deaths. Dairou opens the gates for the Guardsmen and Onaga's army and the Resistance is surrounded. A desperate Havik, trapped inside Orderalm and with no portals nearby, prays to his god Kochal.
The Earthrealm offensive into Outworld is a disaster. Jet fighters, tanks and drones are no match for the sorcery of the Dragon King. His holy men stood high on the mountain peaks and used magic to collide US planes and redirect all missiles fired upon the legions of shokans and tarkata eager to prove themselves. Earth forces are decimated and now Onaga has a viable motive to step through the gate as the Elder Gods will see him as only defending his realm. Top Presidents are killed and the UN falls into the hands of the Red Dragon and Lin Kuei masters, under the tutelage of Onaga. He demands that Raiden hand over the Amulet or watch the majority of humans die. Shujinko rushes to challenge Onaga, but has a vision of a greater evil and stops. Shinnok and Quan Chi are aware of the treat Shujinko poses and they promise the Black Dragon members a place of power if they kill him. Deities begin falling from the sky. A fallen Fujin finds himself in the midst of another battle. He helps Shujinko defend from the Black Dragon clan and therefore gives him his ability to control wind.
Act 2
With war ravaging the entire Universe, no Blaze to prevent Armageddon and the Heavens themselves under attack by Shinnok's forces, the Elder Gods sense that a power surge could end all life and accept that they have failed in their mission. They appear to Shinnok and agree a ceasefire. The former Elder God tells them that their powers combined don't match his own, that with all their efforts to bind him to his prison they only managed to prolong the inevitable. He had foreseen the future and he is the one who had arranged for all the wars to be carried out at the same time, weakening the Elder Gods to the point that they have to step down. He reminds them that none of them was there at the creation of the Universe from the One Being, that they were merely handed command by superior beings millions of years ago and that the day has come that they must relinquish that command to someone else (thus keeping the origin of life a mystery and revealing that the belief in the Elder Gods was a lie all along). The 6 Elder Gods agree to transfer their power, but only into 6 champions, who are to be decided by an ultimate Mortal Kombat tournament, where the most powerful souls from all the realms are to participate in. The 64 characters introduced in the game so far come together to compete for the 6 positions of Elder Gods. Each has the right to challenge the fighter they feel their destiny is connected to. The second round will oppose the 32 participants left. The 3rd round will have the 16 participants divided into 4 groups of 4, where 3 of them will have to team up and defeat the fourth. Only 12 will therefore remain for the 6 Elder God spots.
The factions come together, each with a leader:
Onaga's with Reptile, Khameleon, Hotaru, Nitara, Goro, Kintaro, Sheeva, Dairou.
Shinnok's with Scorpion, Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, Reiko, Noob Saibot, Havik, Darrius, Drahmin, Moloch, Meat, Daegon, Mavado, Hsu Hao, Sektor, Kira, Kobra, Frost, Kano, Jarek, Tremor and Chameleon.
Rain's small party with Mileena, Tanya and Motaro.
Raiden's with Kung Lao, Kitana, Sub-Zero, Jax, Nightwolf, Kabal, Stryker, Smoke, Jade, Sindel, Ermac, Kai, Kenshi, Moap, Fujin, Monster, Shujinko, Taven, Bo'Rai'Cho, Li Mei, Cyrax, Johhny, Cage, Sonya.
As the opponents are wondering how the portals that brought them there opened, from the midst comes an injured Shao Kahn together with his trio of women.
Even more, as nobody expected anyone else, Liu Kang arrives with a fully restored body and a maverick look in his eyes, making it clear that he serves no one.
Shinnok yells to his followers: “The worthy shall stand by my side as Elder Gods for all eternity! Prove your worth!”
Act 3: Fights:
Kobra was tasked beforehand by Shinnok to eliminate the threat that the demigod Taven poses. He challenges the son of Argus but is defeated. Taven however doesn't kill him.
Jarek wants to prove his worth to his father. Knowing that Kano is jealous of the power the Red Dragon have acquired and that a victory over its leader would make him proud, Jarek decides to fight Daegon. Unable to refuse, Daegon agrees and defeats the Black Dragon member. Strangely, the ruthless demigod decides to spare his life.
Fujin is faithful until the end and his entire existence is owed to the Elder Gods that he served, whether they were eternal or not. Although he stands little chance, he challenges Shinnok to a fight of Gods. Fujin fights bravely but he is defeated and killed by Shinnok.
Shocked by the deaths in Outworld, Li Mei steps forth to fight Onaga. Bo'Rai'Cho is too late to stop her and she is killed by the Dragon Emperor in battle. He feels a strange sense of grief over her death...
The Champion of the Elder Gods, Monster, does his duty one last time and proves more than a match for Shao Kahn, but ultimately, the Emperor kills him.
Sensing a chance to finally have his vengeance, Kenshi faces Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat. After a fearsome fight Kenshi plunged Sento into the sorcerer but Shang Tsung used the sword as a portal to collect the soul of the swordsman.
Quan Chi is hated by many but feared by even more. Wanting to overcome her fear, Sareena challenges him. Having seen what happened to her former ally, the original Sub-Zero, Sareena doesn't care much about her life and only wants to stop the evil Quan Chi causes. Her power is no match for the sorcerer and she is killed, but this wakes memories in Noob Saibot's mind.
Raiden is confronted by Moloch, tasked by Shinnok. The Oni is huge and strong, empowered by thousands of years in the Netherealm, but the Thunder God is stronger and defeats it.
Reiko fights Stryker and although the human does his best, it is another victory for the former Elder God's forces, as the General takes one more champion out of the way.
Kai tries to talk some sense into Liu Kang, but finds himself compelled to stop his former friend when Liu only shows desire for revenge on the entire Universe. Kai is brutally killed by the Mortal Kombat champion, which shocks his former allies.
Shao Kahn is worried that King Jerrod, controlling the body known as Ermac is too powerful. He kisses Skarlet and asks her to eliminate him. She engages and almost kills him, but the might of a fully unleashed Ermac is too much for the red b****.
Nightwolf tells Scorpion that he has seen the truth, that there is more life after death and he should let go of his past, but the specter is still under the influence of Quan Chi. Nightwolf tells Scorpion to think about what really happened to his family, but before he can finish, Scorpion kills him.
Frost reveals herself as a member of Shinnok's army. Sub-Zero tries to change her mind but she is bent on proving that she's the real master of ice. A battle ensues in which Sub-Zero is forced to wound her. He does, however, spare her life.
Smoke fights Noob Saibot, convinced that he can make him listen to reason. He almost succeeds, but Noob doesn't see a future for himself after all that he's done. Noob accepts himself: “I am what I am”, then kills Smoke.
Hsu Hao challenges Kung Lao and is severely punished!
Kira fights Kitana and, although shows potential, loses. Kitana contemplates killing her, but spares her life.
Havik encounters Hotaru. He says that his God has answered his calls. If minutes ago Hotaru stood against him with an army of thousands, now they are but face to face. He reveals that he was saved from death many years ago by a deity of unimaginable power called Kochal. The deity revealed to him there and then the past from the formation of the Universe, the way in which the Elder Gods had come to power (he knew of their lie all along) and a future in which Havik would be an Elder God. He believes that Kochal is a God that existed even before the Elder Gods and knows what the future holds. He believes that all things come from chaos and will end in chaos, as chaos is the true way. Armed with this belief, Havik manages to decapitate Hotaru.
Dairou, filled with rage over the lie that his life had become, lashes out on Darrius. The leader of the Resistance tries to fight back but the memory of his family gives Dairou the strength to kill their murderer.
Goro is asked by Onaga to kill the fighters that stand by the Elder Gods. Goro fights Jax and succeeds in killing the major, albeit sustaining injuries.
Tremor fights Shujinko intending to honor his clan, but the old master absorbs his power and defeats him, without a kill.
Motaro has his chance to fight his nemesis and destroys Sheeva in a battle of monsters.
Nitara and Ashrah duel and although the demoness has the upper hand, Nitara disarms her and gives her the bite of death.
The two cybernetic ninjas face off. Cyrax expresses regret over the legacy their fathers left them: a Motswana drug empire for himself and a highly secret esoteric faction for Sektor. He says that they can be better than their fathers but Sektor doesn't relent. He uses the Dragon Medallion and it enhances his power to the point that he kills Cyrax.
Kabal is challenged by Mavado in a battle of skilled warriors from opposing clans. Kabal is victorious and refuses to spare Mavado's life, having become corrupted by the potential power the tournament could grant him.
Jade doesn't waste a second and jumps in to fight Tanya. The treacherous dark magic practician has some tricks, but they don't help her as Jade gets her revenge.
Kintaro takes on Johnny Cage, but the human is victorious and Raiden sees in him the same flare that guided Liu Kang in the beginning.
Sonya chooses Kano and defeats him. Mortally wounded, but content because he knows Jarek was spared, Kano looks to his son, smiles and tells him not to become like him.
Jealous that Khameleon chose Reptile and not him to rebuild their race, Chameleon sided with Shinnok. He fights Reptile but is killed.
Khameleon fights Rain following Onaga's orders. Having absorbed the strength of the entire network of runes from the Netherealm, Rain is more powerful than any living being. He has become an abomination, the combined genes of gods and demons. He disposes of Khameleon as Reptile sees his last chance of happiness die in his arms.
Mileena wants to be queen more than she wants to be an Elder God. She fights the very person that occupies that position: Queen Sindel. Sindel is still shaken of the damage she caused while under the influence of Shao Kahn and loses. Knowing that this will hurt Kitana, Mileena decides to kill their mother rather than spare her life.
Bo'Rai'Cho, enraged after the loss of his apprentice, fights to eliminate the warrior that has caused the most damage to the human population in Outworld. He defeats Baraka and sends him where he belonged all along: in Hell.
Drahmin fights Mokap, kills him and feasts upon his corpse. Taven reveals that he was a formidable Outworld warrior who won the title of greatest fighter and Mortal Kombat champion. He was rewarded with prizes and lands of immense value and so he went mad with power, abused and killed his family, served as one of Shao Kahn's 3 commanders in the war when Edenia was conquered, along with Reiko and Quan Chi (in a previous alliance) and was killed by the Edenian Resistance.
Round of 32:
Taven fights Drahmin and with great effort, only by distracting him when reminding of his wife and children, sends the former warlord back to Hell.
Daegon and Kabal engage in a fight of the greatest masters from the Red and Black Dragon clans. Although Kabal is strong, he is no match for the founder of the clan, the demigod and dragon enslaver Daegon. However, for a second time in a row, Daegon chooses to let his defeated opponent live.
Ermac regrets having placed his trust in Rain. He recounts to the Prince memories of his childhood in the royal Edenian palace, about the trust everyone had in him, in the incredible powers he manifested even at that age and then as a part of the Resistance, growing up, about his friendship with Princess Kitana. This angers him even more, because from his part it was more than friendship. Different people from his past, now inside Ermac, speak to Rain to make him change his purpose. Even his first adoptive father, the Edenian General appears, but Rain destroys Ermac and absorbs the multitude of souls comprising it.
Sonya shocks everyone when she names Liu Kang. Confident that her friend will never harm her she approaches to talk some sense into him. She is however forced to defend as Liu Kang won't back down. Unleashing all his strength, Liu defeats her. He hesitates for his killer shot as Raiden, Kung Lao and Johnny Cage yell at him to stop, but finally throws his fist into Sonya's guts, killing her.
Johnny Cage feels that he is the last hope mankind has to stop Shinnok and Liu Kang. As Liu Kang had already fought this round, he steps up to fight Shinnok. It turns out that it was the Elder God who had sent him those visions all along, making Cage think that he was strong enough to challenge him. It was all a trick Johnny Cage fell right into. He fought bravely but died.
Angry that Onaga commanded Khameleon to engage Rain, Reptile fights the Dragon King. The powerful Onaga wins and knocks Reptile unconscious.
Shao Kahn challenges Reiko, whom he blames for his treason. Reiko tells him that he had kept his head down for too long and that his come to rule had come. For thousands of years he had believed in the message Saho Kahn was sending, the message that the strong should rule the weak, that together they will make all the realms a better place, but that now he realizes Shao Kahn will never be able to do so. The Emperor kills his former friend and ally in combat, first time after many years sensing regret.
Jade challenges Quan Chi. She does her best but is no match for the sorcerer. He remembers that he spared her life when Shao Kahn conquered Edenia 10.000 years ago. He tells her that he did so because she reminded him of his daughter, but this time will not do so again. He kills Jade.
Shang Tsung is forced to fight his first master and trainer, Bo'Rai'Cho. Angered over what Shang has become, the Outworlder destroys everything in range to stop him, but with Shinnok's new source of souls granted to him, Shang proves that his magic is greater than that of his master's. Bo'Rai'Cho dies happily knowing that he will see Li Mei one more time in the afterlife.
Nitara proves a match for Raiden. The strongest fighter from Vaeternus is a threat to all existence if she wins the tournament, so Raiden finds in himself the power to defeat her, but doesn't end her life.
Scorpion faces Shujinko. Although filled with rage, Scorpion cannot land the killer blow, as Shujinko keeps avoiding his attacks and drawing more and more of his power. But Shujinko senses something about Scorpion, that he is destined for bigger, greater things, that he is meant to go further. Having absorbed the powers of Sub-Zero in his youth with the Lin Kuei and those of Fujin and of Tremor earlier, Shujinko passes them into Scorpion, granting him knowledge of all 4 elemental powers, considering fire was his own. Shujinko deliberately walks off the ring and forfeits so that Scorpion goes further.
Sub-Zero takes on the mighty Motaro, but manages to win.
Sektor deflects from Shinnok's team and goes on his own to fight Noob Saibot. He tries to use the Dragon Medallion again, but this time it refuses to listen to him. It will listen, however, to the original Sub-Zero, who takes it and obliterates Sektor.
Kitana, overcome with the death of both her parents, has her revenge on Mileena, finally ripping off her tarkata jaws for good.
Dairou had his revenge with Darrius but believes he must go on to stop Havik. The cleric of chaos is too strong and kills Dairou. He dies peacefully knowing he will see his family one last time before the Universe comes to an end.
An angered Kung Lao wants to fight Liu Kang and prove once and for all who the best of them is, but in this round he challenges Goro to avenge the defeat of the first Kung Lao. He wins and grants Goro the gift of mercy, something that the shokan had not expected.
Round of 16:
Destiny divides the remaining players into groups of four:
Taven, Daegon, Rain and Kitana.
Onaga, Shao Kahn, Shinnok and Havik.
Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Noob Saibot and Quan Chi.
Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Shang Tsung, Raiden.
3 of the fighters from each group go to the final round.
Daegon gets a redemption arc. He reveals that he had been tasked by the Elder Gods all along, who wanted someone to infiltrate Shinnok's Netherealm, as the Gods sensed Shinnok had mastered the time distortion plan a long time ago. Having lived in a lie for 10000 years, Daegon finally fulfilled his destiny when he alerted the Elder Gods. He joins his last living relative, his brother, and Kitana into fighting the enormously powerful Rain. Daegon, Kitana and Rain did grow up together as small children (nowhere does it say in canon MK that Kitana was a “baby” when her mother died). Both Daegon and Rain, a little older than Kitana, excelled at competitions in the kingdom, having godlike blood. They were also competing for the child-Princess' heart, which went to Daegon. When he disappeared, hidden into Earthrealm as a result of Delia's Armageddon visions, Kitana felt as if she lost a part of her. Daegon was chosen by the Elder Gods because he was stronger in spirit than his thousands years old brother, Taven. Still, the Elder Gods' plan cost Daegon his sanity and his ability to feel anything. But he did do it until the end. He posed as Shinnok's puppet for so many years that the Elder God no longer suspected him. He committed patricide, enslaved his most trusted companion (the dragon Caro) broke all contacts with Kitana and formed a cruel and murderous group on Earth, all in the name of preventing a future he was warned of by the Elder Gods.
The combined forces of Taven, Daegon and Kitana are still unable to stop Rain who mortally wounds Taven, allowing for the 3 remaining ones to go further.
Onaga, Shao Kahn, Shinnok and Havik engage into a battle of never-before-seen proportions. As Onaga wants to steal Shinnok's amulet (not knowing that it's fake), he has to make an alliance with his worst enemy, Shao Kahn, leaving their battle for the final. Otherwise, Havik definitely stands by Shinnok's side. The two factions battle relentlessly, with neither having the upper hand for a long time. But, as Onaga and Shao Kahn work together and move closer, Shinnok reconsiders his options and confesses to Havik that he is actually Kochal and has been planning this war ever since he was cast down from the Heavens. With no other alternative, he then snaps Havik's neck.
Quan Chi prepares to strike Sub-Zero, but Noob Saibot suddenly holds his arm. He allies himself with his brother, one last time. Scorpion is still under Quan Chi's influence, wishing for his revenge as well as for getting the power to resurrect his family and clan. In the midst of fighting, Kuai Liang, having observed from the Heavens what had happened, tells Scorpion that it was Quan Chi who impersonated the original Sub-Zero and killed his family. Scorpion is unsure what to do but pieces everything together and Quan Chi even smiles, admitting his guilt. The three ninjas unite against the sorcerer and they are superior in combat, but as Scorpion is about to land the killing blow, the magician has one more trick up his sleeve. He taps into the power of the Amulet (him having the real one since MK Mythologies). Shinnok watches in horror the betrayal and how Quan Chi becomes impossible to defeat. Noob Saibot throws the Dragon Medallion to his younger brother, tells him that he is proud of him and snaps his own neck so that the others may move to the next round.
Shang Tsung reluctantly sides with Raiden and Kung Lao in a desperate effort to stop the abomination that Liu Kang has become. They fight with everything they have, each with their own reason to kill the man that represents their nemesis, former protege or brother. Shang Tsung fights like he had never before done so to prove that he is better than Liu Kang, Raiden unleashes the greatest thunders the world had ever seen and Kung Lao is fueled by the memories of Kai and Sonya, brutally killed by Liu. Still, they can't defeat Liu Kang. He injures Shang Tsung and Raiden and his fist is so powerful that it damages Kung Lao's internal organs. As his best friend dies in his arms, Liu Kang seems to realize what he has done and cries.
Only 12 fighters remain for the 6 Elder God positions: Rain, Daegon, Kitana, Onaga, Shao Kahn, Shinnok, Quan Chi, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Shang Tsung, Raiden.
Mortal Kombat Finale: Endrunde
Kitana, having seen the damage Liu Kang caused, leaves behind a mortally wounded Taven to fight the man she once loved. Liu grieves over what he has done but believes there is no more turning back. As Kitana unleashes a power she had not manifested before, she equals Liu Kang. He is though the embodiment of the dragon, the very essence of the Universe and bestows the Princess. However, having obtained what he wanted, he doesn't land the killer punch.
Having lived through his encounter with Scorpion and Sub-Zero, between Quan Chi and the prize lies only Shang Tsung. Remembering Bo'Rai'Cho's words and seeing what Liu Kang has become, Shang Tsung understands that he was wrong all along, that power corrupts. He will relinquish his Elder God status but he will first prevent Quan Chi from reaching it and causing more harm to the world. The Netherealm sorcerer reveals that hundreds of thousands of years ago he was actually a human, a count from Edenia, long before King Jerrod lived. He was introduced to dark magic and esoteric arts by a very beautiful and charming demon-witch. She corrupted his soul and made him sacrifice his wife and daughter to Lucifer in order to become a powerful sorcerer. After having done so, she still went back on her word and intended to kill him, but he mortally wounded her instead. Overcome with desperation, he traveled to the Netherealm to bring his wife and daughter back but learned that they don't belong to Lucifer and never have. They ascended to Heaven when he killed them. He then went to the gates of Heaven to retrieve them but was thrown down by the Gods and condemned to live in the Netherealm with the memory of what he had done. He vowed to obtain the power to brake the gates of Heaven and get them back. In time, he lost all his compassion for human life. His hatred for the demon-sorceress turned into contempt for women as he enjoyed tormenting them. A young Jade reminded him of his daughter during the Edenian war and he had spared her life, but now he had repressed that memory as well. Shang Tsung gives Quan Chi the beating of his life, even with his Amulet, thus proving that he is one of the greatest fighters of all time in the MK universe. However, by trickery, Quan Chi strikes Shang Tsung in the back and finally kills him. Shang Tsung dies relieved of his burden and at peace.
Sub-Zero has a flashback of the Cryomancers from Outworld and their war with the Dragon King, the oppressor of worlds, Onaga. They had therefore created the Dragon Medallion, a powerful artifact that held the key to defeating the warlord, forged from the power of their entire race and meant for usage only by a Cryomancer as powerful as their King. In the hands of Sub-Zero, the Medallion works as it has never worked before, giving him godlike power that Sektor and Bi-Han never possessed, revealing Kuai Liang as the rightful King of Cryomancers. He fights the Dragon King for glory to his race and power over the universe and plunges his ice sword through Onaga's seemingly undefeatable heart.
Scorpion is knocked out by Quan Chi's use of the Amulet and has a dream of his family. They feel so real that he doesn't want to wake up anymore. His wife tells him that he has to do the right thing, be what he was meant to be. He embraces them and then he wakes up. Having given up his dream of vengeance, Scorpion finally becomes the champion of Mortal Kombat and unleashes all 4 elements of nature: fire, water, wind and earth to defeat Shinnok. The former Elder God tries in vain to use the fake amulet, as Scorpion is unstoppable. It turns out that Shinnok had known the future all along only because he had seen it with the help of the Amulet he had found 1 million years ago. Shinnok is deformed by Scorpion into the Amulet and sent back in time to where he first found it.(similar to Quan Chi's possible ending in MKA, only suiting Shinnok better I think) The Amulet had been trying to warn him all along not to follow that future.
Daegon and Rain go head to head just as they did when they were little. Daegon is beaten and wounded but always gets up and when Caro flies by and drops him the weapons his parents had forged for their quest, he uses them to finish his half-brother and end his threat of Universe destruction.
In the final match Raiden faces Shao Kahn. The 2 opponents recount their lives together before they had become Emperors and Protectors of realms. 300.000 years ago, they were as close as brothers and lived on an island in a distant realm, in a primordial community. They first realized that they were different than everyone else when they started understanding the thoughts of their fellow community members and then when seeing great distances into space through portals they could conjure with their minds. One day, they stepped into those portals... and discovered new realms. Shao Kahn, having had a simple name back then, had a simple life and was head over heels with a girl called Mileena. She ended up dieing and he couldn't do anything to save her. This made him grow angry with the Gods and he trained to become more and more powerful. He learned the ways of the shokan and he became one of them. Over time, Shao Kahn ended up a prisoner of Onaga and lost everything he had and everyone he cared for, even Raiden, who was taken by Shinok under his wing. Together with Reiko, he fought his way up Onaga's gladiator arenas. He became a champion and then a general, a leader, an adviser. He became Emperor. He found that the girl he had loved had reincarnated after so many years as Princess Kitana and was back inside this world, although with no recollection of her previous life. He declared war on Edenia and conquered the realm but found that she had not come back into the world for him. So, he kept her as his daughter, never touched her, never harmed her. He made one in her image, from her blood, but more obedient, one to love him and be faithful. He gave her the name of his lover from long ago: Mileena. He believed that he will take what is his by right and he will face the Elder Gods one day. That day had finally come. Shao Kahn and Raiden fought an epic battle, the Thunder God refusing to let the final spot of the Elder Gods go to his nemesis, as 2 of the others were already occupied by the ruthless Liu Kang and Quan Chi. But Shao Kahn fought with desperation in his eyes and nonacceptance of failure in his hammer. After hundreds of thousands of attempts, he were not to lose again. And he won. Shao Kahn defeated Raiden and received the full immense power of an Elder God together with the other 5 Champions.
GODS of MORTAL KOMBAT: SCORPION, SUB-ZERO, DAEGON, LIU KANG, SHAO KAHN, QUAN CHI.
Epilogue
With Onaga's death, Blaze had been set free and transformed back into a man, the dedicated priest of Delia's temple that he had always been. Having retained the godlike power given to him by Argus and Delia, Blaze used it to heal the dieing Taven. As the former Elder Gods dissipated into smoke, perhaps to reincarnate into simple humans after so many eons, the new ones hang in a delicate balance of yin and yang as there are three who lean on the side of good and three who lean on the side of evil. Quan Chi sees his family for the first time since he sacrificed them, falls to his knees and waits for them to come hug him, but they look at him in disgust, not wanting anything to do with him (This was his greatest punishment, not being defeated by Scorpion. In a twist of fate, Scorpion and Quan Chi were both attempting to revive their families. While Scorpion is at peace with the fact that he'll never see them again but carry them in his heart always, Quan Chi's family is appalled by what he did to get there, which leaves him alone and miserable). The 6 new Elder Gods will have to decide on whether or not to maintain the current system of Heaven and Hell implemented by the former ones or if they will intervene more often in the affairs of mortals. Their mission is to ensure the continuity of the Universe. Their balance is delicate, new challenges lie ahead. The strongest of them, Liu Kang, the embodiment of the dragon, could take Shinnok's path and it would take the combined power of all the others to stop him.
Raiden leaves his status as Protector of the Realm and decides to be a simple man, traveling the world. He burries Bo'Rai'Cho and Li Mei in the master's garden in Outworld and builds a shrine in their name.
Goro repents and starts a process of cohabitation in Outworld. Motaro agrees.
Nitara takes the sword Kriss back to the elders of Vaeternus.
Shujinko is named Seidan Admiral by the Senate and begins peace talks with neighboring Chaosrealm who is in disarray and needs assistance after their entire religion proved false.
Reptile is named Champion of the Elder Gods and given the promise that after 1000 years of service he will be allowed to repopulate his race.
Kitana and Taven say goodbye to Daegon who ascends to his new status. He gives them his blessing and the two marry one year later in Edenia, under the statues of Gods Argus and Delia on one side and King Jerrod and Queen Sindel on the other. Liu Kang watches from above what he had lost.
A reformed master Kabal, joined by apprentices Jarek , Frost, Kira, Kobra and Tremor reopens the Wu Shi Academy. 13 monuments guard the Academy, in recollection of the fallen heroes who died defending Earthrealm: Kung Lao, Johhny Cage, Sonya, Jax, Jade, Cyrax, Smoke, Nightwolf, Stryker, Kenshi, Kai, Fujin, Mokap.
.............................................................GODS of MORTAL KOMBAT...............................................................
I should have sent it to Ed Boon but I guess I'm a little late. 
)), it would be nice to see the trouble he would have to go through. He could be hero material, a next generation big-mouth Johnny Cage. 
