the knight and the black portal

In his mind, only one thought persisted.

"My mission is to control teleportation, but right now, I find myself before a portal I didn't create. There was no card—could it be that someone or something else already controls teleportation?"

The day had started like any other. The metallic sounds of Lusto's experiments filled the air, making the laboratory feel more like a battlefield than a place of research. However, there was always Zooe—not just an assistant but a true friend. He was there, trying to maintain some order amidst the madness. The portals, opened with cards created by Lusto, were always unpredictable. Creatures of the strangest kind would emerge from them, but ultimately, it was Lusto who decided when and where they opened, without caring much about the consequences.

There he was, in his typical laboratory, tinkering with whatever idea crossed his mind. However, a strange sound began to resonate. The laboratory's lights, usually steady and white, flickered before turning a bright, glowing red as a piercing alarm blared through the space.

–What the hell...? –muttered Lusto, pausing.

The main computer, where Lusto kept all records of his experiments, flickered wildly. A warning symbol flashed on the screen. Curious and slightly wary, Lusto tapped the video option that appeared.

What he saw left him speechless. On the 7th floor, a dark portal had opened, but it wasn't one of his. From it emerged an imposing figure, clad in ancient armor that looked forged for legendary battles. The figure, tall and menacing, moved with a stiff but forceful pace, shattering the door of the room it had appeared in with a single blow.

–What the hell?! –shouted Lusto, his voice higher-pitched than he intended. The tremor from the blow caused the scientist to lose his balance, nearly falling to the ground.

The figure stopped, staring directly into the camera transmitting to Lusto. Its eyes, hidden behind its helmet, seemed to pierce through the distance. Then, as if it were a mere toy, the figure drew a sword from a dark portal. The weapon was massive, taller than Lusto himself. With a devastating swing, the figure destroyed the camera, taking out half the wall in the process.

The entire building shook, causing Lusto to lose what little balance he had left and fall to the floor. Before he could get up, Zooe burst into the lab, carrying Foot in his arms. Solería, the Pilanin warrior, followed close behind, sensing the danger.

–Lusto! What's going on? This isn't normal –shouted Zooe, visibly alarmed.

Lusto clumsily got up, brushing off the dust. –I don't know. Something weird came out of a dark portal on the 7th floor –he replied, his voice trembling.

On another camera screen, now pointing at the entrance to the 8th floor, the figure appeared, walking with firm and deliberate steps. The motion detectors on the door obediently granted it passage.

–It's moving fast –Zooe remarked, gritting his teeth.

–Thank you for your brilliant observation, genius! –Lusto retorted sarcastically. –But don't forget, you've got the great Lusto on your side.

With that, Lusto disappeared behind a door in the lab. Moments later, he emerged, dressed in a loincloth, a shirt with fake muscles printed on it, and a lion-skin cloak draped over his shoulders as if he were the reincarnation of Hercules.

–Lusto! What are you wearing? –asked Zooe, stifling a laugh.

Before Lusto could respond, his scrawny legs gave out under the weight of the lion-skin cloak, causing him to crash to the floor.

–Are you okay? –Zooe said, removing the heavy cloak and tossing it aside.

Lusto stood up, slightly embarrassed. –Yeah, maybe this isn't my style...

Without missing a beat, Solería picked up the cloak from the floor and draped it over herself like armor. With an agile leap, she climbed onto a table where a light beam hit her directly, beating her chest and roaring like a legendary warrior.

–I think it suits her better –Zooe commented, trying to suppress a mocking smile.

Lusto scowled, clearly annoyed, and retreated back into his room. A few minutes later, he reappeared amidst a self-made smoke effect. This time, he was wearing tight jeans, a blue shirt with a small hole on the left side of the abdomen, his blue-and-black Controlus Electrux gloves, and his lab coat.

–Lusto, those gloves need to be connected –Zooe pointed out.

–Not anymore, my friend. I added a battery to make them wireless. Sure, they can't lift tons now, but a few kilograms is doable.

While they spoke, Solería was preparing the territory with Lusto's axe, ensuring it was ready for combat. Lusto, meanwhile, pulled something from a cabinet and handed it to Zooe.

–Here. Electric strikers. Anything you hit will get fried.

The floor rumbled violently again. On the main computer screen, the dark knight was now at the exit of the 10th floor, about to breach the hatch to the 11th. Its arrival was imminent.

–Leave Foot in my room –Lusto ordered firmly. –Just tell him not to crap himself.

Zooe nodded, placing the little monkey in the room and barricading the door with furniture.

Lusto slowly approached the lab's exit door. He glanced at Solería, who was crouched in a runner's stance, her normally soft cinnamon-toned skin shifting to a concrete-like hue.

The scientist felt a pang of fear standing beside her, but Zooe touched his shoulder, reminding Lusto of his furry friend's words: "Trust her. She might surprise you."

Taking a deep breath, Lusto nodded, turning his gaze back to the hallway door. Everything was ready for battle. Then, a deafening blow shattered the hatch. The enemy had arrived.

He came out of the hole and, seeing the team ready to fight, a penetrating red light began to emerge from the holes. The dark knight, moving his fingers up and down in a line in the air, a small dark portal began to open.

Lusto's gloves reacted to the portal, and a wild idea appeared in Lusto's mind. The warrior's portal suddenly closed, preventing the sword from emerging.

Confused, the knight turned to look at the scientists, seeing Lusto canceling the portal with a movement of his gloves.

Releasing steam through the holes in his helmet, he prepared to attack, but suddenly an axe with a clean strike cut off one of his arms. The knight turned to see where the axe had gone, and saw a concrete wall with two red eyes ready to strike.

The knight regenerated his arm in a scene that left Lusto speechless, watching as the bone regenerated followed by the muscles and a layer of dark skin. With a huge, muscular arm, the amputated arm began to deflate, dissipating into a puddle of gray water, with the armor peeling off.

—Astro locut gerret, dakin emin breess, recortad infinit. —said the legendary figure of the knight, pointing to Solería with the new arm. He then returned his gaze to the scientists. —Sosper estorve, mored. —he said before jumping in their direction.

Lusto tried to stop him with his gloves, but the enemy's strength was overwhelming, causing an unexpected action to occur. Lusto was violently pushed into the wall, and as the force of the impact was too much for the gloves to handle, they were repelled, causing that result.

Solería quickly took advantage of the distraction caused by Lusto, cutting the tendons of the knight's foot, making him lose his strength, but the knight quickly regenerated them and kicked the warrior pilanin. However, a blow from Zooe to his face made the helmet shift and break free from the armor.

That knight had a demonic face; his skin was pale like the laboratory wall, he had six glowing red eyes, and a mouth that quickly opened into a mass of white spikes, letting out a red tongue.

Without thinking twice, Zooe struck with another precise blow to the face, leaving a large burn. The monster tried to bite him, but was stopped abruptly.

It was Lusto again, connected to the light, able to stop him.

His immense strength was impossible to contain, and every time more energy was needed to stop him, which led to a blackout, burning Lusto's gloves.

In the darkness, only the eyes of that demon glowed, and the electric sparks from the giant gorilla lit up.

After a while, the light returned, the knight was covered in burns, causing him to permanently close five of his six eyes.

With a loud scream, while sticking out his tongue, Solería cut off the knight's exposed arm again. It was Zooe who, taking advantage of the electrical energy from his strikers, used a large electric charge to cauterize the wound, preventing regeneration.

The knight, still determined, charged with a blow that pushed the gorilla to the wall, knocking him out, and deciding to finish him off in one move.

But Solería, not giving him a second of rest, struck with her other arm.

The dark knight could be heard screaming like never before, taking his first step back, black sweat drops running down his skin, regenerating his arm, but this time missing two of his five fingers. Solería tried to strike again, but the knight did not allow it, breaking the axe in two and directly striking her.

The knight turned to see Lusto, who was now defenseless.

The knight tried to launch himself once more, but his injuries prevented him from moving, reopening the wounds on his feet that the pilanin had caused.

With no other option, the dark knight opened a portal of his size, proceeding to step into it.

With no other ideas, Lusto threw a card into the portal, which activated upon contact, creating a discrepancy in the nature of the two sciences.

This caused the portal to suddenly close, cutting the warrior in half.

Lusto approached and saw that the flesh of that knight did not disappear.

The scientist let out a breath and, seeing the state of his two companions, decided to take care of them. He left Solería on a bed and, since Zooe was so heavy, he covered him with a blanket.

When he finished, Lusto looked at the sky and shouted in excitement. —I won, I won! I, the great Lusto, was the victor. —Then he turned to the ground and his smile faded, but this time it seemed more sincere. —We won, team, we are the winners.

But without warning, a portal opened in front of him.

In his mind, only one thought crossed his mind. "My mission is to control teleportation, but right now, I'm facing a portal I did not create. There was no card... could it be that someone or something already controls teleportation?"