The scene cuts to the Sky Temple. Team S-F creep up behind a wall overlooking a crevice as D’Vorah speaks with Liu Kang, Kitana and Sindel.
D’VORAH: Lord Shinnok is nearly finished. Soon the Jinsei’s corruption will be irreversable.
KITANA: The invasion can then proceed. Raiden and his allies will be unable to offer resistance.
Kung Jin missteps, and some stones crumble under his feet and fall into the crevice below them. Takeda and Cassie stop Jin from falling.
LIU KANG: Once the realm falls, our path to victory will be clear. Advise Lord Shinnok that the Oni and Orochi are ready. At his command, we’ll unleash them on Earthrealm.
D’Vorah nods and walks into the Sky Temple. Kung Lao and Smoke walk up to the rest of the revenants.
LIU KANG: Have you found Raiden’s portal to the Heavens?
KUNG LAO: Yes, but his wards protect it. We can’t break through.
Team S-F peer over the wall at the revenants.
KITANA: That is unacceptable. After Earthrealm is destroyed, we must complete Lord Shinnok’s vengeance; invade the Heavens and destroy the Elder Gods.
LIU KANG: (To Kung Lao and Smoke) Come.
The three male revenants walk off.
TAKEDA: Make war on the Heavens?! If Shinnok can take down the Elder Gods–
JACQUI: End of the universe. Got it.
KUNG JIN: Kung Lao… to see him like this…
CASSIE: We’ll all be hangin’ ’round the Netherrealm water cooler if we don’t pull this off. C’mon.
As they creep along the wall, a rock comes loose from where Takeda puts his foot. Unlike Kung Jin before him, the rest of Team S-F are unable to catch him and he falls, just barely grabbing into the crevice edge in time.
JACQUI: Takeda!
She reaches her hand for Takeda to grab. Sindel and Kitana notice the noise. Realising they’ve been spotted, Cassie motions to Jin and they spring out of cover, running forward and engaging in kombat.
Kung Jin swings his staff at Kitana as Cassie fends off Sindel’s strikes. Kitana gets through Jin’s staff swings, punches him in the stomach and kicks him in the face as he bends over, staggering him. Cassie punches Sindel, who blocks two more strikes from her and sends her reeling with a punch of her own. Cassie begins to retreat as Sindel advances on her.
SINDEL: Has your mother ever told you what I did to her friends? Killed them all in the blink of an eye.
CASSIE: And your own daughter. You proud of that?
SINDEL: We are bonded in death. You will join us and I will give you a proper upbringing!
They fight. Without the magic of Shang Tsung and his consumed souls in Sindel’s body, she is unable to bring up the same power and strength that killed so many of Earthrealm’s warriors. That is why she finds herself unable to take down Cassie so easily and that allows the leader of Team S-F to rally and beat her down, eventually leaving her unconscious on the ground.
CASSIE: Nice offer, Mommy Dearest, but I’ll pass.
Jacqui is still trying to reach down and pull Takeda up from a sticky end at the bottom of the crevice the Sky Temple rests on. They both strain to reach each other’s outstretched hand. Takeda suddenly loses his grip and falls… but Jacqui leans down and grabs his hand in the nick of time. Both of them struggle for a few moments, but eventually Jacqui pulls Takeda back up.
TAKEDA: I owe you one.
She pats him on the shoulder.
JACQUI: I’ll remember that.
Kung Jin yells out as he is flung backwards, crashing into the large gong in the temple courtyard. He passes out from the collision. As Kitana moves in to finish him, Cassie calls out to her.
CASSIE: Back off, princess!
KITANA: You think mere words can stop me?
Kitana turns as she spots Takeda and Jacqui running toward her. The three of them surround the revenant.
CASSIE: Thanks for the assist.
JACQUI: Any time.
TAKEDA: Tick tock, ladies.
Kitana blocks strikes from Cassie and Jacqui with her fans, kicking Cassie away at the same time she punches Jacqui backward. Takeda lands two punches across her face, but she blocks a third and counters with a roundhouse kick that staggers him. She then levitates him and Jacqui into the air with her fan-nado attack and chucks of her fans into his abdomen. She follows up on Jacqui by throwing her remaining fan into her shoulder. With them both down, Kitana recalls both fans to her and twirls them around, turning to face Cassie.
CASSIE: No!
KITANA: You wish to die first? So be it.
They fight. Kitana proves to be a huge test for Cassie, as her speed and skill in battle matches and surpasses the young Earthrealmer. However, Cassie shows that she has tricks of her own up her sleeve, and these allow her to remain in the fight and take it to the revenant. After a fierce battle, Cassie manages to emerge victorious.
CASSIE: You’re not killing anyone.
As Kung Jin pulls himself to a seated position, Cassie rushes over to Takeda.
CASSIE: (To Jin) Help Jacqui!
Realising the situation is dire, Jin does as he’s told for once. Cassie helps Takeda to his feet. He’s favouring his abdomen, which is bloodied up from Kitana’s fan.
CASSIE: Messed you up pretty bad.
TAKEDA: Ugh, great bedside manner. I can fight.
Cassie puts his arm around her shoulder to support him. They walk over to Jin and Jacqui, who’s sitting down and favouring her shoulder.
CASSIE: Jacqui?
JACQUI: It’s nothing. Just like Kurdistan.
Team S-F hear someone call out in Chinese. They turn to spot Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Smoke rushing toward them.
TAKEDA: (To Cassie and Jin) You two go. Jacqui and I’ll handle them.
CASSIE: What?
JACQUI: We’ll just slow you down.
KUNG JIN: Forget it!
Cassie realises the truth in their words. She looks to them and pulls out her pistols.
CASSIE: Damn it. Keep your heads down. I’ll see you on the other side.
She nods to Jin and they take off into the Temple. The scene cuts to Shinnok in the Jinsei Chamber. He has now completely corrupted it with his presence. Raiden is still trapped in the skeleton hand, barely conscious. D’Vorah is with the cocooned Johnny Cage, watching as her insects slowly eat into his face.
D’VORAH: They taste your flesh. Burrow deep. Inside you they will grow. Gnaw your innards.
Johnny is still fully conscious during this horrific ordeal, but he refuses to cry out in pain. Cassie and Jin rush into the Jinsei Chamber.
KUNG JIN: By the gods!
CASSIE: DAD!
D’Vorah turns around at their voices and engages them in kombat. She blocks a kick from Jin and a punch from Cassie, kicking her in the stomach and forcing her backward. She blocks a punch from Jin and extends one of her stingers, stabbing him in the chest. She coldcocks him with her fist and ducks a right hand from Cassie. Once more, D’Vorah launches her stinger, but Cassie catches the appendage. She blocks D’Vorah’s strikes as best she can, but is forced backward by a punch to the face.
D’VORAH: First father, then daughter. Will they taste the same?
They fight. Under normal circumstances, the fighting prowess and powers of D’Vorah would have been too much for Cassie to handle alone. But now the daughter of Johnny Cage fights with an aggression and strength unknown to her before. She relentlessly pummells the Kytinn, not stopping until she is well and truly unconscious at her feet.
CASSIE: You’re the bug? I’m the windshield.
Outside in the Sky Temple courtyard, Takeda is fending off attacks from Sindel and Kitana as best he can, while Jacqui is busy fighting off Liu Kang, Kung Lao and Smoke. Takeda catches a break by punching Sindel backwards, but Jacqui gets pummelled by Liu Kang and Smoke. Kitana lays into Takeda with some punches and Sindel hits him with a roundhouse kick as Jacqui manages to uppercut Liu Kang.
Back in the Jinsei Chamber, the insects burrowing into Johnny’s face have all died once D’Vorah fell unconscious. He looks up to find his daughter trying to free him from the cocoon.
JOHNNY: Hey… Punkin…
CASSIE: I’m a little old for “Punkin”.
The cocoon proves to be tough for Cassie to open, but she still goes at it.
JOHNNY: No… Get… Shinnok.
CASSIE: But–
JOHNNY: I love you.
He falls silent and his eyes close.
CASSIE: Dad?
Before she can check if Johnny has died, the corrupted form of Shinnok descends from the Jinsei onto the chamber floor itself, looking toward her.
SHINNOK: So you are the issue of Johnny Cage. Fitting that I exterminate his entire line.
Cassie’s fear at the sight of the fallen Elder God is quickly replaced by determination and resolve.
CASSIE: You want him, you’re gonna go through me.
As Shinnok strides towards her, Cassie lets rip with several punches that he effortlessly blocks. One slips through, but it doesn’t faze him. She throws a supergirl punch, but only hurts her hand when she punches his skull. Shinnok throws a light jab that almost floors Cassie before grabbing her by the throat and lifting her into the air. He throws a measured punch to her face that sends her flying across the chamber, just barely conscious.
SHINNOK: Yes, that’s better. Watch, Miss Cage, as I rend your father’s flesh.
He summons magic into his palm and blasts Johnny square in the face with a red beam of power. This time, Johnny is unable to keep from screaming in pain. Cassie looks up and struggles to her knees as Shinnok breaks off the spell.
SHINNOK: This is what awaits those who defy me: excruciating, exquisite death.
He blasts Johnny again in the face with his magic, prompting more screams from him. Cassie gets back to her feet and charges forward.
CASSIE: You son of a BITCH!
As she runs at Shinnok, the same green energy that surrounded her father twenty-five years ago envelops her as well. As Shinnok blasts her with his magic instead, she puts up her hands to block it. Like Johnny before her, the magic has no effect and she throws off the blast. She takes a moment to look at the glow on her body.
CASSIE: Holy shit, it does run in the family!
SHINNOK: Your father’s power will not save you. You cannot hope to survive!
They fight. The battle is truly epic, with neither the enpowered Cassie or Shinnok getting any clear advantage for the majority of it. For what seems like an age, the daughter of Johnny Cage and the fallen Elder God fight with everything they have, but eventually Cassie Cage gains an advantage and with one final assault, she knocks Shinnok to the ground.
CASSIE: You got Caged.
As Shinnok rises, Cassie throws a knee that he blocks, but hits a kick that connects to his stomach. She follows through with a punch to his abdomen, an overhead punch to his head, a low roundhouse kick to his crotch and a knee to his face, staggering him. With a battle cry, Cassie lands one more punch to Shinnok’s face and finishes him off with a somersaulting kick that leaves the fallen Elder God knocked out for the count.
With Shinnok defeated, the green glow of power surrounding Cassie fades out. Kung Jin picks himself off the floor and walks over to her, noting that Shinnok is out like a lightbulb.
KUNG JIN: That you? Nice.
RAIDEN: Cassandra Cage…
Raiden is still imprisoned by the skeleton hand, which has since blackened slightly with Shinnok’s defeat. Cassie and Jin run up to him.
RAIDEN: Put me… in the Jinsei.
CASSIE: What?
KUNG JIN: But you’re– it– it’ll kill you!
RAIDEN: Must… be… cleansed. Hurry.
Together, Cassie and Jin support Raiden and walk him onto the floating rocks leading up to the Jinsei. He floats into the corrupted Jinsei and starts chanting in Japanese. His arms charge up with lightning that envelops his body. As Cassie and Jin look on with concern, he blasts Shinnok in the chest with a lightning bolt, lifting his unconscious form into the air.
The lightning acts as a conduit, and Raiden begins to absorb the corrupted essence of Shinnok into his own body. He begins to grimace in pain, but does not stop the spell. Shinnok’s demonic form is eventually restored to his original self, still unconscious and now no longer holding his amulet.
With the power gone from Shinnok, Raiden cries out once more and blue essence expells itself from his body, back into the Jinsei. The chamber is completely filled with white light, so bright the entire screen whites out.
Outside of the Sky Temple, the revenants have been unable to beat Jacqui and Takeda. Everyone stops fighting as the corrupted cloud pouring out of the Jinsei Chamber dissipates, and the clouds above it begin to lose their blood red hue.
LIU KANG: (To the revenants) We must withdraw.
Jacqui and Takeda look to the sky, smiles on their faces as sunlight breaks through once again. They only notice too late that a portal opens up that takes the revenants back to the Netherrealm. Nonetheless, this does nothing to their current joyous mood. Takeda puts a hand on Jacqui, and they both walk over to the temple, sitting down near the giant statue of Raiden, completely exhausted.
TAKEDA: That moonlight walk… can it wait?
JACQUI: No walks. Poolside. Umbrella drinks.
He puts his hand on Jacqui’s.
TAKEDA: Deal.
They look at each other and smile, and Jacqui rests her head on Takeda’s shoulder. Back in the Jinsei Chamber, the lifeforce of Earthrealm is back to it’s regular blue hue. Cassie Cage and Kung Jin both hold Raiden up and walk him back to the chamber floor. Raiden has fallen motionless from the ordeal and they set him down as gently as they can.
CASSIE: Is he alive?
KUNG JIN: Barely. I’ll help him. Help your father.
Cassie runs back to Johnny, still cocooned but alive. He smiles as he spots her.
JOHNNY: And to think… I was worried when you started dating.
CASSIE: Afraid I’d come home with someone like you?
JOHNNY: Funny, beautiful, saves the world. My work here is done.
SONYA: This way! In here!
Sonya arrives in the chamber, flanked by Special Forces soldiers.
SONYA: (To her men) Isolate Shinnok and D’Vorah. And get the medic!
She runs up to Cassie and Johnny, finally looking at her ex-husband with concern.
SONYA: We’ll fix you up. Help is on the way.
JOHNNY: You shoulda seen Cass. Wiped the floor with Shinnok.
SONYA: I believe it. And you… you did a great job with your team, Johnny.
JOHNNY: You hear that, Cass? She called me “Johnny”.
CASSIE: I thought she might.
As the Cage family smile at one another, the camera pans up to the Jinsei, restored to all it’s former glory.
Cut to black.