The blizzard that had enveloped the battlefield momentarily abated, allowing everyoo see the source of the gunshot. Dr. Kintovar stood there, a massive yet handheld high-tech on beled “BG-356” in her grip. Her e hair cascaded down her back, trasting boldly with her pigtails that swayed with her every step. Her b coat, impeccably white, draped over her curvaceous figure, and underh it, a red shirt hi her fiery nature. Bck pants g ts, exuding an aura of professionalism. She always wore her pink headphones and sungsses, a trademark look that made her stand out.

  Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle stared at Dr. Kintovar in disbelief. Her appearan the midst of the blizzard was ued, and the powerful on in her hands left them momentarily speechless.

  Dr. Kintaze shifted from her creations to Aliana, her fareadable behind her sungsses. With deliberate steps, she approached Aliana, her on still trained oarget. The blizzard’s fury seemed to bend and dissipate around her, as if even nature itself reized her authority.

  Aliana, weakened from her use of the “Absolute Gcial Embrace” teique, could only watch as Dr. Kintovar closed the distaween them.

  Stunned and filled with fear, Aliana stammered as she tried to speak Dr. Kintovar’s name.

  “Dr... Dr. Kintovar?” She mao utter, her eyes locked onto the imposing figure before her.

  Dr. Kintovar remained silent as her high-tech on charged for the devastating shot. Without warning, it fired with a deafening roar, and the projectile struck Aliana with searing iy. Pain coursed through her body, and she screamed in agony as the powerful attack overwhelmed her.

  The attack subsided. Aliana’s silver hair returo its natural blue color, and she was left lying on the ground, weakened and defenseless. Her sword lost it’s power and the forest returned back to normal.

  Dr. Kintovar finally spoke and she carried a cold and calg tone. She looked down at the fallen Aliana. “Does it hurt, Aliana?” she inquired, “I want you to remember something. Remember all those stists who died at the hands of your precious academy.”

  Her e hair framed her face as she tinued, “They were brilliant minds, eae of them. Ahey were destroyed by the very institution they served. Bmed for crimes they didn’t it, and every little problem that occurred involving something they didn’t uand. I was the only survivor. Do you want to know why?”

  Aliana y on the ground, pain c through her body as she listeo Dr. Kintovar’s cold and taunting words. She struggled to respond. She was weak and trembling. “Why...” she mao croak, her eyes locked onto Dr. Kintovar.

  Dr. Kintovar’s lips curled into a sinister smile as she leaned closer to Aliana. “Because, my dear Aliana,” she hissed, “I am the true genius among them. I am the one who unlocked the secrets they couldn’t fathom. Take for instahis on. The BG-356. It’s my 356th gun.”

  Dr. Kintloating tinued as she expihe capabilities of her on, the BG-356. Her eyes gleamed with a twisted pride as she revealed its secrets.

  “You see, Aliana,” she began, “the BG-356 isn’t just any on. It’s a marvel of teology, a fusion of magid maery. With it, I stand toe to toe with the most formidable students of the Magic Academy, despite my agical abilities.”

  She gestured to the on in her hands, its sleek design and high-tepos evident. “This on harhe very magic that flows through this isnd,” she tinued. “It absorbs the mana, amplifies it, and verts it into devastating energy. With the BG-356, I match the power of the most skilled mages, and even surpass them.”

  Dr. Kintovar’s e hair glinted. She paced around Aliana. “While your academy relies on archaic magic, I have embraced the future. This world doesen’t belong in the hands of mages. You see, only a genius is capable of ruling the world. I will purge you... all of you that stand in my way. ”

  Aliana, despite her weakeate, summoned her remaining strength to respond to Dr. Kintovar. “You’re insane, Kintovar,” she spat out, her breath bored. “Your thirst for power has ed you. Using teology to manipute magic, causiru, and taking i lives... It’s madness!”

  Dr. Kintovar’s twisted smile didn’t waver as she respoo Aliana’s accusation. “Madness?” she retorted, “What’s truly mad is ging to outdated notions of magic when teology achieve so much more. You and your preagic Academy have been draining the life force of this isnd, siphoning mana from the Mystic Forest with your Maractors.”

  She pointed an accusatory fi Aliana. “So, tell me, Aliana, who is truly in the right here? Is it the academy that has been leeg the lifeblood of this isnd, or is it the one who seeks to harness its power and reshape the world for the better?”

  Dr. Kintovar’s cold, analytical tone tinued as she delved deeper. “Have you ever sidered, Aliana,” she asked, “that by allowing the academy to tinue draining the mana from this isnd, you’re iently leading it to its demise? The Mystic Forest is a source of life for this pce, and its magic sustains everything.”

  Aliana’s eyes wide the realization. “But….there must be another way,” she protested weakly. “We ’t simply let teology take over aroy the bance of this world!”

  Dr. Kintovar chuckled darkly, her e hair casg over her shoulders. “Ah, but you see, Aliana,” she replied, “The academy’s as and your own deeds have pushed this world to the brink of chaos. The i with the robotic creature was the catalyst for ge. The academy’s brutality in dealing with the stists only fueled my resolve.”

  Dr. Kintovar’s remained cold and calg. “Aliana, who was it that ordered the execution of all the stists who were involved in the creation of that robotic creature?”

  She let the question hang in the air for a moment before pressing on. “And who ordered the capture and execution of all individuals in the Mystic Forest who possessed no magic at all? Wasn’t it the Headmaster of your preagic Academy?”

  Dr. Kintovar’s questions were relentless, eae driving home her point. “Tell me, Aliana,” she tinued, “did you believe in these orders? Did you obey them without question, evehey went against your sense of morality? Or let me guess, you don’t have any, do you? You are as they say ‘cold’.”

  Aliana’s resolve began to crumble uhe weight of Dr. Kintovar’s accusations. She was broken shen she came to realize...

  ‘Kintovar is right!’

  She stammered, her eyes filled with a fear. She began to realized her faults. “I... I... I didn’t...” She struggled to find the words to even speak.

  Tears welled up in Aliana’s eyes. She tio stammer, “I... I didn’t question... I... I just followed orders... I didn’t think... I didn’t... I...why...did I..just...”

  Dr. Kintovar shook her head with a look that was full of of sorrow, yet determihe sense of morality has all but disappeared,” she said. “Your precious academy, the very institution you once served, executed some of my friends and fellow stists without mercy. They even turned on those who were i, those who had no magic powers. you uand the depth of the cruelty, Aliana?”

  Kintovar’s words hung heavily in the air, and Aliana could feel the truth of her words pressing down on her.

  “You should uand now why I won’t hesitate to finish you,” she decred. “You represent everything that’s wrong with the world, Aliana. Blind obedieo authority, a disregard for the lives of others. I have no sympathy left for your kind.”

  Dr. Kintovar raised the BG-356, her on charged with deadly energy, she locked eyes with Aliana one final time. “Goodbye, Aliana,” she said with sadness ione.

  The lethal energy bsted out towards towards Aliana. Time seemed to stretch, and despair threateo e her. But just before the deadly strike could reach its target, Gaiza stepped in with incredible speed and agility. With a powerful surge of her dual affinities—water and wind—she mao grab hold of Aliana, shielding her from the impending doom.

  Dr. Kintovar’s e hair cascaded around her, unyielding as her on’s destructive energy crackled in the air. She didn’t show any remorse or hesitation in that moment.

  Gaiza held Aliana protectively. “How dare you, Dr.Kintovar,” she shouted, her blue hair whipping in the wind. “You have nht to harm Princess Aliana!”

  “Princess Aliana?” She narrowed her eyes at Gaiza and Aliana. “You’re still ging to that title and identity for her, are you?”

  “She is Princess Aliana, and she will always be my Princess. You ’t erase who she is!”

  Dr. Kintovar’s eyes bore into Gaiza. “ime,” she hissed, “I won’t miss.”

  With a swift motion, she activated the BG-356′s loode, and the on began to transform before their eyes. It shifted and refigured, taking on a more menag appearahe air around it surged with energy as it prepared for another devastating attack.

  Gaiza gently lowered Aliana to the ground, her eyes filled with regret. “I’m sorry, Princess Aliana,” she whispered, “I have to do this to keep you safe. Please five me.”

  With a swift and fluid motion, Gaiza summoned a massive torrent of water with her Aqua Bde re-appearing in her hands, the very essence of her dual affinities—water and wind. The water surged forth, creating an overwhelming wave that cascaded toward Dr. Kintovar and her menag on.

  The torrent of water crashed into the area, creating chaos and obsg visibility with its sheer force. It served as a powerful distra, allowing Gaiza to grab Aliana and make a hasty escape from the battlefield.

  As they retreated from the battlefield and the looming threat of Dr. Kintaiza whispered to Aliana, “We o get you somewhere safe, Princess. Somewhere far away from Kintovar...I doubt the magic academy will be safe, but…”

  Dr. Kintovar watched frustration as Gaiza and Aliana made their escape through the chaotic torrent of water. She khat pursuing them in this situation would be futile, and her BG-356, now transformed into a menag on, was no longer needed.

  With an exasperated sigh, she began to disassemble the on with calcuted precision. Piece by piece, it reverted to its inal form, which she secured safely in a pact case. Despite her apparent ical appearance as she packed up her on, her resolve remained unshaken.

  “So what if you escaped this time,” she muttered to herself, her e hair framing her face.

  As the torrent of water gradually subsided and the battlefield began to clear, Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle cautiously approached Dr. Kintovar.

  Dr. Kintovar turo face them, her e hair flowing behind her. She pces her hands on her hips and smiles while turning to her creations “Well, well, It seems you three have been quite busy.”

  Risebelle spoke first. “Kintovar,” she began cautiously, “I didn’t expect to see you otlefield like this...”

  Dr. Kintovar’s lips curled into a smile as she regarded her creations. “Yes, Risebelle, you see, sometimes, in order to win the game, you must ge the rules. Aliana is no ordinary mage. She’s a Swod, and she possesses a power that I find... intriguing. Her final ability was ued to see on my way here.”

  Runebelle, who had been silently the versation, finally spoke up, with . “Doctor, we got into some problems” she said her blue and pink hair swaying as she spoke. “Roselle and Risebelle are injured. We mao disable two of the maractors, but there are still five more to deal with.”

  Dr. Kintaze shifted to her creations in thought.

  “Injured, you say?” she mused, her e hair casg down her back. “Well, that won’t do. We ’t have you all in such a state.”

  With practiced efficy, Dr. Kintovar retrieved the medical box from a mini-bag attached to her side.

  “As for the remaining maractors,” she began, “we will deal with them iime. For now, it’s important that you all recover and regroup. We have much work ahead of us. Aliana was only the beginning.”