"People of North Jancito," Dark Whirlwind began. "For years, you have ingly deceived me, leadio believe that the Northern part of this city was nothing more than a haven of poverty aution. You lured me into a false sense of pcy, while secretly h your wealth and development."

  Her eyes, cold and calg, sed the crowd, "I was blind to your deception, and for that, you shall pay dearly. I have ducted my own iigation, and I now see through your deceit. You preteo be impoverished, all the while amassing riches and enjoying the fruits of your duplicity."

  Dark Whirlwind's anger resohrough her words, "This city will not escape the reing it shtfully deserves. You will face the sequences of your treachery, and North Jancito shall know the wrath of Dark Whirlwind."

  The people in the square trembled under her words.

  "Our lives are over!"

  "Please, Goddess, save us!"

  Tears welled up in the eyes of the frightened citizens who tried to g together. Some fell to their krembling before her imposing figure.

  "Oh, Dark Whirlwind, please spare us! We never meant to deceive you," cried an elderly woman with tears streaming down her wrinkled face. She csped her hands together.

  A businessma beside her. "We are at your mercy, Dark Whirlwind. Please, five our deception. We were only trying to survive," he implored, casting fearful g the dark figure looming over them.

  Children g to their parents, whimpering softly. "Mommy, I'm scared," whispered a little girl. She gripped onto her mhtly.

  Dark Whirlwind surveyed the se with a cold gaze. "You have brought this upon yourselves," she decred icily. In that moment, Dark Whirlwind's aura of power intensified. An oppressive force desded upoire square, rendering everyone, including the group, immobile. It felt as if invisible s bound them, restrig their movements and leaving them vulnerable before this menag presence.

  Dark Whirlwind's eyes burned with an unholy fire. Within them. "I will ask each of you, one by oo surrender everything you possess," Dark Whirlwind decred, their tone ced with malevolence. "If you refuse, you will face the sequences, and your lives will be forfeit. Choose wisely, for this is your only ce to survive."

  Silver, though uo move, remained outwardly posed. She was unphased by the incredible magic that surrouhem. She appeared to be gatherihoughts.

  Roselle's wide eyes reflected fear. She stammered, "Th-this... this magical power is... it's beyond anything we've faced before."

  Risebelle's rage surged untrolbly. She emitted low, guttural growls. Her ched fists trembled with frustration at their helplessness.

  Runebelle’s sadness deepened. Her eyes downcast.

  Alden muttered, "This is not good at all. Dark Whirlwind in the flesh, and we 't move... We're in big, big trouble."

  Becky, struggling to move and overe by fear, fell to her knees. She repeatedly whispered, "Move, move," to her paralyzed body, but beads of sweat f on her brow.

  Sybi was brought to her knees by the overwhelming magical power. She gasped, "The magical power... it's just too much."

  Dark Whirlwind turned her attention to the terrified civilians one by one, her pierg gaze log onto each persoerrogated.

  She approached an elderly man, his frail body trembling as he faced her. "What do you have for me?" Dark Whirlwind demanded.

  The man stammered, "I-I have some savings... in my house." Dark Whirlwind's eyes bore into his, and she nodded approvingly. "Good. Take me to your house," she anded, her tone leaving no room fument.

  They moved away. The elderly man led her to his home and handed over his meager savings.

  Dark Whirlwind then turned her attention to a shop owner, a middle-aged woman who stood before her shop, tears in her eyes. "Please, I have a family to feed, I have two sons at home! I--" she pleaded.

  Dark Whirlwind interrupted. "Give me everything you have. I don’t have all day." The woman, trembling with fear, unlocked her shop and surrendered her valuables.

  This pattered as Dark Whirlwi from person to person, ensuring that they handed over every possession they cimed to have.

  With each exge, the townspeople's despair grew more and more. The group watched helplessly, uo intervehe sheer cruelty and power of Dark Whirlwind's as left them in a state great unease.

  Dark Whirlwind, haviracted what she desired from the townspeople, turned her dark gaze toward the group.

  "Well, what do we have here?" she sneered. "A group of meddling outsiders who thought they could escape the sequeny wrath? You've aligned yourselves with these deceivers, and now you shall share in their fate."

  Dark Whirlwind's eyes, locked onto Silver. “I see right through you. You are not even Kintovar.” Her anger burned like a raging inferno. "I am in a foul mood today, and you have had the misfortune of crossing my path," Dark Whirlwind decred. "Just like these pitiful townspeople, you will pay the price for your interference."

  Risebelle, with her rage still simmerih the surface, shouted."Who are you?" Risebelle asked, “What's your name?! Why are you doing this?!"

  "I am Dark Whirlwind," Dark whirlwind hissed, "The harbinger of chaos and despair in this realm. I am the one who enforces order. You see, it’s not about who I am; it's about what I represent—a force that ot be denied."

  Dark Whirlwind's eerie ughter echoed through the square. She now looked upon Roselle with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

  "Oh, this is rich! Look what we have here!" Dark Whirlwind jeered with amusement. "You poor, unsuspeg girl. That face you wear so ily—it doesn't belong to you. It was stolen from someone else."

  Roselle's eyes widened in disbelief. She stammered, "WH-what are you talking about? This is my face. I don't uand..."

  Dark Whirlwind, still smirking, expined, "The one who designed you, who created you in their image—this 'Kintovar' persoole this fad gave it to you. You're nothing more than a replica, a puppet with a stolen visage."

  Roselle stood frozen. Dark Whirlwind's words eg in her mind. Her memories, the sudden fragments she had of her past life now felt like that of a shattered illusion. She tried to recall her life before she became Roselle, the memories of a college girl fshing through her mind.

  In those moments, she remembered the ughter of friends, the te-night study sessions, and the dreams she once had. But now, faced with Dark Whirlwind's revetion, doubt crept in like a creeping shadow.

  "Are these memories real?" Roselle whispered to herself, "Or are they just part of the data that was collected to create me? Am I…not…me…?"

  Risebelle's rage surged untrolbly as Dark Whirlwind's cruel words pierced through Roselle's identity. With a ferocity, she spoke.

  "Roselle, don't listen to a word this monster says!" Risebelle's words rang out defiantly, cutting through the tension in the air. "She’s trying to manipute you with twisted lies. You are who you are, and no one take that away from you!"

  Dark Whirlwind smirked. "Oh, how toug," she taunted. "But your words won't ge the truth. Roselle is a mere imitation of someone else's existence. You 't deny what she truly is."

  Risebelle gritted her teeth. “Roselle is more than just data or a creation. She has a soul, feelings, memories that are real to her!”

  "Risebelle..." Roselle said while looking downwards. "I... I don't know what to believe..."

  "It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not," Dark Whirlwind taunted. "The truth is the truth, whether you accept it or not.”

  Dark Whirlwind goward Becky and released her from the immobilizing aura that had held her captive. With a chilling smile, she addressed Becky.

  "Now…I've given you the freedom to move," Dark Whirlwind said, her eyes fixed on Becky. "You know what you have to do, don't you?"

  Becky held a face of humiliation. She began to remove her outfit piece by pietil she stood there, dressed only in her bra and shorts. Her gaze never left Dark Whirlwind.

  With a relut sigh, she took the meager amount of money she had and threw it onto the ground at Dark Whirlwind's feet. "Are you happy now? Ya got what you wanted."

  Dark Whirlwind narrowed her eyes and looked towards the hamme that Becky tossed aside and the intricate craftsmanship of Becky's outfit.

  “It seems a great amount of effort went into these items….yes…but… ohing you should know...”

  Dark Whirlwind leaned in closer to Becky, "I don't like your tone, girl. You make one more wrong move, and your life es to an end right here."

  Becky, usually quick to retort, felt a surge of frustration. She wao say something, to shout back defiantly, but the threat of her immobilizing power kept her silent. All she could do was gre back at Dark Whirlwind.

  Risebelle struggled to tain her rising rage. Her systems began to react. Her growls grew louder and muttural and her eyes were beginning to turn reddish.

  Alden, seeing the dangerous path Risebelle was on, attempted to calm her. "Risebelle, you have to calm down," he pleaded with worry. "We'll get through this, but we have to keep a level head."

  But Risebelle was beyond hearing reason at this point. The ahat had been simmering within her for so long was now a r fire, threatening to e her.

  Dark Whirlwind sehe immeurmoil within Risebelle. She decided to ge her approach from Sybil who was in line and moved in front of Roselle, who had been standing frozen. With a wicked smile, released her from the immobilizing magic. Roselle could suddenly move again, but her blue eyes were wide with fear.

  Dark Whirlwind leaned in close to Roselle. "Your turn, little copycat," she taunted. Dark Whirlwind's eyes locked onto Roselle's jacket, a high-tech piece of clothing that was a cherished possession.

  "Well, well, what have we here?" Dark Whirlwind mused mogly, trag her finger along the intricate stitg of Roselle's jacket. "This looks valuable, doesn't it?" Without waiting for an answer, she swiftly removed the jacket from Roselle.

  Roselle stood there, now in just her simple blue shirt. ”Now," she anded with an icy tone, "bow before me."

  Roselle's mind raced with fear and fusion. Her body trembled while looking into Dark Whirlwind's eyes. Everything inside her screamed to resist, to fight back, but she khat she couldn’t rival that magic power radiating from her. Dark whirlwind was far beyond the power of the Headmaster they had to fa the past.

  Risebelle's internal systems began to react violently to her esg rage. Steam started to emanate from her body from the interain she was under.

  Inside Risebelle's sciousness, the gentle System spoke urgently," Project Zab, please calm down. Your systems are overheating. You o lower your internal temperature before it causes serious damage."

  But Risebelle's anger burned fiercely, refusing to be quelled. Her meical features strained against the rising temperature. The steam intensified arouhe water affinity within her system reacted chaotically to her emotional state, further plig her internal stability.

  Dark Whirlwind, notig the steam rising from Risebelle, smirked with malicious satisfa. "Looks like your little friend is losing trol. Is she going to explode?"

  Risebelle's growls grew louder, more primal. She struggled to maintain trol, but the bined effects of Dark Whirlwind's oppressive magid her own turmoil pushed her closer to a dangerous pce.

  "Project Zab, you must listen to me. If you tinue like this, you will cause irreparable damage to yourself.”

  Not long afterwards, Risebelle entered a ate.

  [System Message]

  Warning: Critical Overheatied

  “Project Zab, your body temperature is rapidly rising to dangerous levels. Immediate a is required to prevent system failure. Please take measures to cool down and manage yer to avoid further plications.”

  Risebelle's scream pierced the air. She defied the immobilization and surged forward with a burst of sheer willpower.

  Risebelle's internal systems reached critical levels of overheating, her normally blue aura began to shift. A crimson hue emerged, swirling around her like a tempest of fury and anguish. The air crackled with energy as her rage intensified, fueling the transformation.

  Roselle, watg in horrhis was not the usual aura of her friend. The red energy pulsated with urained fury, emanating an uling presehat trasted sharply with Risebelle's usual calm demeanor.

  "Ah, so the meical creature shows its true colors," Dark whirlwind said with a smirk turning into disdain. "Let's see how long you hold out before you self-destruct."

  "You FILTHY humans!" Risebelle roared, her words punctuated by the crag red aura surrounding her.

  Roselle, still reeling from Dark Whirlwind's revetion about her ins, watched in shock.

  "Just when I thought I could see some good in you, you prove me wrong!" Risebelle tinued, with fury. "Dark Whirlwind is the epitome of everything I despise about your kind—cruelty, selfishness, and a lust for power!"

  Dark Whirlwind chuckled darkly. "Suaive creatures, believing you could uand me."

  Roselle was caught between the seething anger of Risebelle and the oppressive presence of Dark Whirlwind. Deep in her mind, she knew she couldn't let Risebelle succumb te, or else she would destroy herself. With a deep breath, she stepped forward, pg herself between Risebelle and Dark Whirlwind.

  "Risebelle, listen to me!" Roselle pleaded.

  But Risebelle seemed beyond hearing. Ign Roselle's pleas, she gritted her teeth and summoned all her strength. With a primal scream, Risebelle surged forward, defying the immobilizing aura that had held her captive.

  Dark Whirlwind was taken aback by this. Before she could react, Risebelle's fist, infused with water energy, struck her squarely in the side. The impact sent Dark Whirlwind hurtling through the air, crashing violently into a nearby building.

  The sound of shattering stone echoed through the square as Dark Whirlwind emerged from the rubble with disbelief.