Sebastião and Genivaldo (G)
Sebastião and Genivaldo (G)
Sebastião advanced through the metallic corridors of one of the ships, his armor echoing with each heavy step. At his side, Genivaldo followed in silence, his weapons ready to fire at the slightest sign of movement. The lights flickered intermittently, casting distorted shadows along the walls. The air was thick, filled with the smell of burnt oil and overloaded circuits.
"This place is way too quiet," murmured Sebastião, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Silence is never good," Genivaldo replied, adjusting the magazine of his weapon. "It means they're waiting."
They turned a corner and were greeted by a group of metallic creatures detaching from the walls as if they were part of the structure. Without hesitation, Sebastião lunged forward, delivering a devastating punch to the first creature, sending it crashing into the wall and leaving a deep dent in the metal. Genivaldo, in turn, opened fire, his bullets piercing the vulnerable spots of the enemies with lethal precision.
More enemies emerged, but the duo pressed on relentlessly. Sebastião crushed and tore through the adversaries, while Genivaldo kept the rear clear with strategic shots. However, amidst the battle, Sebastião couldn't help but notice something strange: Genivaldo always seemed one step ahead, as if he knew exactly where the enemies would appear before they even showed up.
That unsettled him.
But it wasn't the time to question it. Not yet.
The battle within the ship raged on. The corridors trembled with the impact of explosions and the sound of bullets ricocheting off the metal. Sebastião advanced like an unstoppable force, his armor absorbing blows and returning them with crushing power. Every punch left behind a trail of shattered enemies, their metallic bodies dented against the walls or thrown back as if they were made of paper.
Genivaldo, on the other hand, remained calm. His eyes analyzed every movement, every exposed weak point. He wasted no ammunition, each shot was precise, hitting the creatures' joints or their energy cores. When one of the monsters tried to leap at Sebastião, Genivaldo fired without hesitation, hitting it right in the forehead and bringing it down before it could touch his companion.
"You should pay more attention," Genivaldo commented, reloading his weapon with a dry click.
Sebastião scoffed. "I'm busy smashing these piles of junk. If you wanna shoot, shoot. If you wanna complain, shut up."
Genivaldo let out a short chuckle. "Always so friendly."
They moved forward, but Sebastião still felt something was wrong. The path they were taking seemed... too convenient. As if they were being led somewhere. He glanced at Genivaldo from the corner of his eye, but the gunman maintained the same impassive expression.
Looking ahead, Sebastião took a deep breath. He didn't like trusting anyone but himself, but here, in the middle of this ship full of enemies, he had to fight side by side with Genivaldo. For now.
Then, the lights of the ship went out, and the door they had passed through slammed shut.
"Genivaldo?"
Sebastião shouted, concerned.
The lights returned, and on the other side of the room stood Genivaldo, now wearing black metal armor, wielding a sword of the same material.
Sebastião smiled, still serious and wary.
"I knew it. Knew I couldn't trust you. Even after all these years, I always knew."
Genivaldo closed the visor of the helmet he was wearing.
"Yeah, hahaha. If I ever wavered and somehow revealed I was involved, Afonso would have killed me for sure. And before you ask, yes, this armor was forged by Thanatos. You guys are the Sacred Knights, right? Then I guess that makes me… the Profane Knight."
Sebastião clenched his fists inside his armor, feeling the weight of the moment. He had suspected Genivaldo, but seeing him there, in black armor, serving Thanatos directly, was something else entirely. The confirmation that his instincts had never failed him.
"You always were a damn smartass,"
Sebastião growled, stepping forward.
"But if you think that little armor is gonna save you, you're dead wrong."
Genivaldo twirled the sword in his hands, the black blade emitting a faint energy pulse.
"Maybe,"
He replied with a provocative tone.
"But I wouldn't have allied with Thanatos if I wasn't sure of victory."
Before Sebastião could react, Genivaldo moved. Fast. Faster than he had ever seen before. The blade sliced through the air, forcing Sebastião to raise his arms to block. The impact was brutal, making the metal of Sebastião's armor creak under the pressure. He was pushed back, his boots sliding across the metallic floor of the ship.
"This is gonna be fun to test against you," said Genivaldo, his voice muffled by the helmet.
Sebastião gritted his teeth and dug his feet into the ground, stabilizing himself. His eyes locked onto the enemy before him.
"Then bring it on."
The tension in the room intensified. The lights flickered, the ship trembled in the distance as battles raged outside. The clash between the two was about to explode.
The fight was intense. With every impact Genivaldo landed, he chipped away at Sebastião's armor.
His armor absorbed part of the damage, but an unsettling noise echoed in his ears: a crack. He frowned. No way.
Genivaldo noticed.
"Oh, so your tin can has a limit, huh?"
He laughed, taking advantage of the moment to press harder. His attacks became more ferocious, each impact making Sebastião's armor groan and fracture. First, small cracks in the chest plate, then in the shoulder. And then, one of the greaves on his left leg shattered completely, exposing part of his flesh underneath.
The warrior clenched his teeth, ignoring the pain and attacking again. But Genivaldo was fast. He ducked, slid to the side, and swung his sword in a wide arc.
Sebastião felt the blade slice through his armor.
A wet sound filled the room. For a moment, everything seemed to slow down.
He looked to the side and saw it.
His right arm was no longer there.
The limb lay on the ground, still wrapped in pieces of the destroyed armor, beginning to smoke. Sebastião staggered back, clutching his shoulder with his other hand, blood dripping onto the metal of his suit.
Genivaldo raised his sword, letting the blood drip slowly.
"Well,"
He murmured, his voice filled with satisfaction.
"That was easier than I expected."
Sebastião panted, his vision blurring. But he couldn't fall here. Not yet.
He raised his gaze, and an intense glow began to emanate from his body.
The fight wasn't over yet.
Just as Genivaldo moved to deliver the final blow, Sebastião's armor reassembled itself, shielding him and hurling Genivaldo across the room. Without his suit, Sebastião knew he had no choice but to escape using the powers of the Lotus Flower.
And so he did. He fired an energy blast at one of the walls, tearing it open. Before jumping, he said:
"D.678, self-destruct."
Then he leaped. Ten seconds after he spoke those words, an explosion erupted. The armor detonated, destroying part of the ship and splitting it in half. The half that was connected to the mystical machine used to extract the planet's core remained floating, while the other half fell, crushing hundreds of Thanatos' creatures.
But most importantly, Genivaldo was dead.
When Sebastião reached the ground safely, thanks to his powers, he saw his son, Will, running toward him.
"DAD!? WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?"
Sebastião turned forward and started walking.
"Watch your mouth, kid."
"Dad. What happened?"
"Genivaldo cut my arm off and destroyed the D.678. It exploded and killed him. I need to get to Afonso."
Will clenched his fists, his visor glowing for a moment.
"C'mon then. But if you pass out on the way, I swear I'll drag you back by force."
Sebastião smirked.
"I'd like to see you try."
And with that, they headed toward the battlefield, as the sky darkened with Thanatos' looming presence.
His right arm was no longer there.
The severed limb lay on the ground, still wrapped in fragments of his destroyed armor, beginning to smoke. Sebastião staggered backward, clutching his shoulder with his remaining hand as blood dripped onto the metal of his suit.
Genivaldo raised his sword, letting the blood slowly drip from the blade.
"Well,"
He murmured, his voice filled with satisfaction.
"That was easier than I expected."
Sebastião gasped, his vision blurring. But he couldn't fall here. Not yet.
He lifted his gaze, and an intense glow began to radiate from his body.
The fight wasn't over yet.
Just as Genivaldo was about to deliver the final blow, Sebastião's armor rearranged itself, shielding him and launching Genivaldo to the other side of the room. Without his suit, Sebastião had no choice but to escape using the powers of the Lotus Flower.
No sooner said than done. He fired a blast at one of the walls, tearing it open. Then, before jumping, he uttered:
"D.678, self-destruct…"
Then he leaped.
Ten seconds after he spoke, an explosion erupted. The armor detonated, causing part of the ship to be destroyed and split in half. The section still connected to the mystical machine used to extract the planet's core remained floating. The other half plummeted, crushing hundreds of creatures from Thanatos's army.
But most importantly, Genivaldo was dead.
Upon reaching the ground safely, thanks to his power, Sebastião saw his son, Will, rushing toward him.
"DAD!? WHAT THE F&!^×% WAS THAT!?"
Sebastião turned forward and started walking.
"Watch your mouth, kid."
"Dad, what happened?"
"Genivaldo cut off my arm and destroyed the D.678. It exploded and killed him. I need to get to Afonso."
"No, Dad. You're not crossing a battlefield without your suit. And besides, your arm is gone!"
"That's not a problem, son. Afonso is like a brother to me. We've always been together. I might be all messed up, but that won't stop me from reaching him. He, I, and all of us will fight together. Thanatos is moving too fast."
"How do you know?"
"I can feel it…"
Will furrowed his brow, crossing his metallic arms as he studied his father.
"Feel it? Dad, you've lost a lot of blood. Don't you think you might be hallucinating?"
Sebastião stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath. He wasn't hallucinating. The air around them trembled with an invisible pressure, as if the planet itself was warning of the imminent danger. Thanatos was near, and every fiber of his body knew it.
"Will, I'm not joking. I felt this same presence before… back when Afonso and I fought Thanatos for the first time. This feeling of impending doom, of something far greater than us moving to crush everything. Thanatos is coming. And if we don't act now…"
He paused, looking directly at his son.
"It'll be too late."
Will clenched his fists, his visor flashing for a brief moment. He wanted to argue, to stop his father from doing something reckless. But he saw the same determination in Sebastião's eyes that he always had. He never backed down. Never.
Will let out an irritated sigh and then activated the thrusters on his back.
"Alright, let's finish this quickly. But if you pass out on the way, I swear I'll drag you back by force."
Sebastião smirked slightly.
"I'd like to see you try."
And with that, the two set off toward the battlefield, as the sky grew darker with the looming presence of Thanatos.
Using the powers of the Lotus Flower, Sebastião was able to "float," gliding and moving faster toward Afonso, following his son, who still had the radar-equipped bracelet.
Oh, and about Sebastião's severed arm, he cauterized the wound using his powers to coagulate the blood.