The man forgotten by them

It had been two weeks since the neighborhood had become a battlefield, and each day that passed seemed like a century for Rosario. Two eternal weeks, marked by pain, loneliness and hopelessness. The school, once a haven of light and knowledge, was now a lonely stronghold in a world consumed by darkness. For Rosario, the wait was unbearable. His companions were his only hope, the only chance of survival in a place where death lurked in every shadow.

Rosario had been kind to them, sharing vital information, but she hadn't been completely sincere. She had told them that, like them, she had a god who had chosen her, a divine being who granted her power and protection. But it was a lie, a facade created by his pride. She didn't want them to stay and protect her, she didn't want to be seen as weak. During those two weeks, that pride had taken a devastating toll on him. The neighborhood, once relatively safe, had turned into absolute chaos.

The dimensional beasts, which previously barely dared to approach the school, were now unleashed, more violent and ferocious than ever. The reason was clear: the return of his companions had unleashed something that they could not control. Leon, selected by a god of high rank in the celestial hierarchy, emanated such an intense power and aura that he attracted the attention of all the beings of darkness. His burst of energy had been a signal, a declaration of war that the boss monster of the area could not ignore. This evolved being, endowed with a cruel intelligence, had perceived the latent threat in Leon and had decided to eradicate it before he could grow up.

The zone boss, a titan of dark power, had ordered the destruction of the school, sending hordes of hellish creatures to raze it. Rosario was the only one left to defend that sacred place. Day after day, night after night, she faced endless waves of monsters alone. Orcs, ghouls, stone golems, fog insects... there was no rest, there was no truce. His body was shattered, his soul charged with a deep despair, but his spirit was not broken. With every blow, with every spell, Rosario fought with the fury and determination of someone who knows that her death is inevitable, but who is determined to die with dignity.

For five long years, she had learned to fight alone, without the help of a god, perfecting her skills through suffering and loneliness. Now, all that experience was condensed in these final moments, in this desperate battle to protect the last refuge of his companions. For them, she was a beacon of hope, the light that should guide them back to a place they could still call home, the only home they had left. And if he had to die, he would do it with his head held high, in his finest clothes, even if they were now torn and stained with blood and sweat. For Rosario, there was no greater dignity than falling fighting, than facing the abyss with the certainty that she had given everything she had.

So, Rosario continued, facing each monster, again and again, without stopping, without giving up. The school was still going on, but each new dawn brought with it the uncertainty of whether it would be the last. And as the darkness surrounded her, she struggled, clinging to the hope that, somewhere, her companions would be returning.

The past two weeks had eroded Rosario's spirit to its foundations. Day after day, the constant struggle had transformed his body, once agile and full of life, into a shadow of what it had been. Her hair, once golden, now sported a dull white, as if life itself had been drained from every strand. But he was still on his feet, always on his feet, for the sole reason that others could rest. However, that brief respite after the last battle, when the cheers of the survivors filled the air, would soon turn into a nightmare.

The atmosphere, full of relief and ephemeral peace, suddenly broke down. An indescribable cold swept through the place, making the voices of the survivors turn off in an instant. A murmur of panic spread between them, and Rosario felt how reality itself was distorted around her. He turned slowly, his heart racing as he faced what he knew was there.

In front of the school, a crack in space-time had opened with a force that warped the atmosphere around them. It was as if the very fabric of reality was being torn apart, and from that opening, something began to emerge. The crack, dark and pulsating, was expanding like a wound in the universe, and from inside, a monstrous form began to emerge, pushing the veil between dimensions as if opening a heavy steel door.

First, a claw emerged, long and sharp, formed by shadows that seemed to be constantly moving. Then a fiery eye, of an incandescent red, peered out from the crack, watching the world with an indescribable hunger and hatred. The creature continued to come out slowly, its body grotesque and twisted. As he advanced, the crack expanded more and more, until finally, the abomination was completely out. It was as if the darkness itself had taken shape, a being composed of flesh and shadows, with multiple twisted limbs and three eyes that shone with the light of condemnation.

Every step he took towards the school resounded like a funeral drum, his movements slow, but full of a deadly intention. His deformed form towered over Rosario, each of his eyes fixed on her, as if recognizing her as the only barrier between him and total destruction. The monster needed no words to communicate his purpose; his mere presence was a promise of death.

Rosario felt her body shaking, but not from fear. It was exhaustion, the weight of the countless battles he had fought, the pain of every wound he had ignored. I knew that this fight would be different, that this monster was more than what I had faced so far. But I also knew I couldn't back down. Not when the lives of everyone behind her depended on her endurance. Not when everything I loved was at stake.

The fire that was burning inside her, that spark of hope and despair that had kept her going for so long, began to grow. Channeling all his power, Rosario summoned the flames that had been his weapon for so long. His body was enveloped in an intense aura of fire, each flame a reflection of his determination. Without further hesitation, he lunged at the monster.

The fight was a show of brute force and unleashed fury. Rosario attacked first, closing the distance between her and the abomination with superhuman speed. His first blow, a burst of fire, directly hit the monster's torso, causing it to take a step back. But instead of cowering, the creature responded with even greater fury. Its tentacles swirled around Rosario, moving with terrifying speed, trying to catch her in a deadly embrace.

Rosario moved with desperate agility, dodging the attacks and launching counterattacks with each opening. His fists, engulfed in flames, struck the monster's body over and over again. Each impact sent heat waves across the battlefield, but despite its power, it seemed to do nothing more than scratch the surface of that entity.

The monster counterattacked, its claws tearing through the air with deadly precision. One of the blows managed to reach her, tearing her clothes and leaving a deep wound in her side. Rosario screamed, not out of pain, but out of rage. Ignoring the blood gushing from the wound, he counterattacked with renewed fury, his blows becoming more intense, each one charged with the totality of his despair.

The combat dragged on, a deadly dance between fire and shadow. Rosario felt how her body was starting to fail, how each movement was getting slower, heavier. The monster, relentless, kept attacking, his incandescent eyes filled with an inhuman hatred. The abomination showed no signs of fatigue; every time Rosario managed to land a blow, the monster seemed to absorb the damage, as if its body was composed of the same darkness that had created it.

But Rosario did not give in. Its flames, though growing fainter and fainter, were still burning. Each blow he landed was slower than the previous one, but he did not lose strength or determination. His world was reduced to that struggle, to the need to protect, to resist. In her mind, she saw the faces of those who depended on her, those who had cheered her return. I knew I couldn't fail them.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Rosario felt that her body couldn't take it anymore. His strength was exhausted, his flames almost extinguished. But instead of giving up, he gathered everything he had left, channeling the last spark of his life into one last attack. With a scream that echoed throughout the school, he lunged at the monster once more, his body engulfed in a fire so intense that it seemed to defy the darkness itself.

He hit the abomination with everything he had, every fiber of his being burning with a final intensity. The explosion of fire lit up the night, and for a moment, everything was silent. The monster retreated, staggering, while Rosario fell to her knees, exhausted but not defeated. Even though she knew she couldn't continue, that this might be her last act, Rosario smiled. He had given everything he had, and if he had to die, he would do so knowing that he had fought to the end.

And so, wrapped in the ashes of her own determination, Rosario waited for the outcome, sure that, no matter what, her spirit would never be broken.

In the middle of the battle, Rosario found herself in front of the abomination, a deformed and cruel monster, whose shadows seemed to consume the light around her. She had already managed to seriously injure him, and one of his four arms had been torn off in the confrontation, but the beast was still fighting, tireless, driven by an ancestral hatred. However, his last onslaught was fierce, faster and more brutal than the previous ones. With chilling precision, one of its sharp claws pierced Rosario's abdomen, lifting her into the air as if she were a broken puppet.

The pain he felt was inhuman, a torment that scorched his flesh and his spirit. Agony gripped her, and for a moment, all she could do was scream, as the blood slid down her mouth, covering her lips in a dark crimson. But even in that state, Rosario did not give up. With the last spark of strength he had left, he summoned a fire spear in his hand. His light flashed desperately, burning like the last breath of a dying star, and he threw it with all his might.

The spear struck one of the monster's eyes, piercing through its surface like a blast of divine fire. The creature, wounded and blinded, let out a guttural roar and freed Rosario from his grip, unceremoniously throwing her to the ground. His body, mangled and bleeding, fell in front of the school, the place he had worked so hard to protect. She knew that her strength was leaving her, that her minutes were numbered. But instead of showing fear or despair, Rosario turned to the survivors who were watching her in horror and smiled. A kind and loving smile, designed to instill in them a hope that I knew, deep down, didn't exist.

As his eyes began to cloud over and life slowly slipped out of his body, his mind was invaded by memories. She remembered the girl she had been, the one who, in a destroyed world, had had no room for hope. That girl had been cruel, a creature of pure survival, who did not shut up her dark thoughts, who did not allow herself to dream. But time had changed her. She had learned to silence that cold, relentless voice in her mind, to offer hope to others, because she knew that, without that light, she would have nothing to keep fighting for. He thought about his family, about what he had lost, about everything he could never get back.

Rosario: "Is this what it feels like to die?", he asked himself in silence. "Well... if I die, at least I will die with pride."

With a determination born of pure desperation, Rosario got up. His body was shaking, and blood was gushing from his wound, staining the ground around him. She coughed, spitting blood, but did not take her eyes off the monster who was watching her with nameless hatred. There was no longer any fear in his eyes, only a resigned fury and an unshakable resolution. If I was going to die, I would do it standing up, fighting until the last breath. He turned slowly to the creature, a wry smile on his face, and spoke to him with the same cruel sincerity he had cultivated in his youth.

Rosario: "I know I'm going to die here, you fucking disgusting meatball... but I promise you... that I'll take you with me, you fucking poorly delivered fetus..."

His voice resonated with an unexpected force, piercing through the monster's callous mind. The beast, although unable to reason like a human, understood the intention behind those words. Enraged, the being rushed towards her with terrifying speed, determined to end the battle once and for all. Rosario closed her eyes, accepting her fate, hoping that the pain would disappear in an instant of eternal darkness.

But that moment never came. Instead of the deadly impact, she felt a warm breeze caress her skin, and a voice—arrogant, delicate, seductive—filled the air.

Apollo: "Wow, what happened to your hair? As far as I remember, he was blond a few minutes ago... jsjsjs, sorry for my tardiness, I had some business to attend to."

Rosario opened her eyes, incredulous. In front of her, standing with a divine grace, was Apollo, the god of the sun. His figure radiated a golden light that illuminated the scene with a heavenly radiance. He was watching her with a playful smile, as if everything was a simple game.

She was in shock, unable to comprehend why such a powerful deity had appeared at that moment. Why was he, such an important god, here? His mind, clouded by pain and confusion, could only formulate one question.

Rosario: "But... they never chose me... Why?... why would you, such an important god, come—"

Apollo gently raised his hand, silencing it by placing a finger over his lips. Her voice, now softer, carried a touch of tenderness that contrasted with the desperate situation.

Apolo: "That's because you are just like the sun, Rosario. You are the one who enlightens people with something essential for their survival... that little hope you bring to those close to you. That's why you are worthy to be the sun god's protégé."

With a gesture, Apollo invoked his divinity, and the deadly wound in Rosario's abdomen began to heal. She felt the pain dissipate, replaced by a feeling of warmth and renewal. He coughed slightly, releasing the last bit of blood left in his lungs, and then, for the first time in weeks, he cracked a real smile. With a golden glow, Apollo sealed a divine contract in Rosario's soul, marking her as his protégé. Now, his life was intertwined with the essence of the sun god.

Apollo: "Now, be the first to use it. Use all the power that the system allows you. Use immersion."

Apollo held out his hand, the smile on his face was a mixture of kindness and coquetry. Rosario, although she hesitated for a moment, knew that she could not refuse that offer. Her pride fought against the idea of accepting help, but the reality was that, at that moment, she had no other choice. Slowly, he grabbed Apollo's hand, feeling a powerful energy begin to flow through it.

The world around him was filled with a bright golden light. A gigantic divine aura enveloped the place, and for an instant, everything stopped. The abomination recoiled, his eyes filled with a mixture of fury and fear, as he felt the presence of the god. Even the zone chief, a fearsome creature in his own right, shuddered at the potency of that light.

Rosario, now wrapped in the divine immersion, prepared to face what was coming, knowing that this time, the power of the sun was on her side.

With the divine presence of Apollo merging with the spirit of Rosario, the air around her began to vibrate with an intense, almost tangible energy. The golden light emanating from the god became intertwined with the flames that had been Rosario's essence all her life, and in an instant, the pain and despair that had dominated her was transformed into an unimaginable power. Her hair, which had been golden before and then white from wear, now shone like the purest gold, surrounded by a halo of light emanating from her own will. The power of the sun and the fire came together in perfect harmony, molding his new form.

Rosario's dress was transformed, adopting a dark and elegant design, decorated with golden details that seemed to glow with their own energy. Her eyes, once filled with suffering, now glowed with a searing intensity, reflecting the inner flame that was burning more strongly than ever. Chains of golden fire wrapped around her wrists and ankles, a symbol of the power that had been sealed inside her by the sun god. The aura around her grew, becoming a corona of solar flames that illuminated everything around her, a beacon of hope and destruction.

The monster, who had been on the verge of victory before, instinctively recoiled, feeling the immeasurable power that now emanated from Rosario. She, however, did not give him time to react. With a fluid and graceful movement, he raised his hand and materialized a bow made of pure sunlight. Arrows of concentrated fire emerged from his back, their tips burning with the intensity of a thousand suns. With supernatural speed, he fired the first arrow, which pierced through the air with a sharp whistle and embedded itself in one of the remaining eyes of the monster. The explosion that followed was devastating, enveloping the creature in a column of golden fire that made the earth tremble.

The monster roared in pain, his body starting to disintegrate under the immense pressure of the solar energy. But Rosario gave him no respite. It disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing right over the monster's head. With a shout of fury and determination, he summoned a solar flame sword in his right hand. The sword shone with the light of a thousand sunrises, and as he descended, Rosario drove it into the skull of the beast with all his strength. The creature stirred and let out a shriek that echoed in the void, but Rosario did not stop. With each stroke of his sword, the flames intensified, consuming the putrid flesh and the shadows that enveloped the monster, reducing it to ashes.

But the battle was not over. Although severely wounded, the monster launched one last, desperate attack. His remaining claws extended towards Rosario, trying to catch her in a last attempt to drag her into the darkness with him. Rosario, however, was prepared. With a quick and precise movement, he summoned a solar fire shield that deflected the monster's claws and allowed him to focus on his final attack.

Raising both hands to the sky, Rosario began to gather all the energy she had left. The air around her became heavy, vibrating with the accumulated energy. With a roar of pure will, he summoned an immense sphere of sunlight in his hands, so bright that it seemed to contain the very power of the sun. The sphere grew until it became a gigantic golden ball of fire, incandescent and full of the fury of a star.

He brought the sphere to its maximum power and threw it towards the monster with blinding speed. The fireball collided with the creature, completely engulfing it. The explosion was cataclysmic, a golden shockwave spread for miles, dissolving the shadows and ruins into a blinding glow.

As the monster disintegrated, its body collapsed on itself, leaving only a crater where it had been. The solar flames continued to burn in the air, consuming the remnants of the horror that had once terrified everyone. Rosario, hovering over the epicenter of the destruction, was breathing with difficulty, her body on the verge of exhaustion. But he had won.

Rosario slowly descended, landing on the now charred ground. The transformation began to dissipate, and the divine energies that had sustained her returned to Apollo, leaving the young woman alone with her own strength. Her body, although exhausted, was still holding firm, and her eyes, although full of tiredness, reflected the determination that had brought her to this point.

The school, although damaged, remained standing, and the survivors, who had witnessed the fighting from a distance, emerged from their shelters, stunned by what they had just witnessed. Rosario turned to them, her hair now white once more, but her eyes were shining with a mixture of relief and sadness. I knew I had won, but the cost had been immense.

Apollo, now watching from a distance, smiled proudly. "You did well, Rosario. You are worthy of the power I have granted you."

Rosario, still recovering, returned a tired look. "I didn't do it just for me... I did it for them."

Apolo: "And that's what makes you truly strong," Apolo replied before fading away, leaving Rosario alone with her victory and the weight of everything she had sacrificed to achieve it.

The battle was over, but the war wasn't over yet, and Rosario knew she would have to keep fighting, not only for others, but for herself.