Chapter 150 : The Ice Storm from the North and the Declaration of the Tyrant Queen

Several months passed in a haze of hunting and secrecy. I lived a strange double life. By day, I was Tatsumi, an exemplary U.A. student who trained hard with my friends, pushing our limits in preparation for the war we knew was coming. By night, I was Tyrant, a ghost moving in the shadows, carrying out solo missions for Ryukyu. One by one, dangerous Tartarus escapees began to disappear from the streets, neutralized in silent operations that never made the headlines. Each mission made me sharper, stronger, and my control over Incursio's partial manifestation was now as natural as breathing.

My relationship with my "circle of trust" deepened. They knew I often left for "special missions," and although they didn't know the details, the worried look in Momo's eyes, the strange questions from Nejire, or simply a supportive pat from Uraraka and an understanding nod from Tsuyu, became the anchors that kept my human side intact. On the other hand, my rivalry with Bakugo and Todoroki had evolved into a harsh mutual respect. The three of us were the pillars of strength in our class, constantly pushing each other to become stronger.

The world outside U.A. itself was in a deceptive state of calm. The destruction in Kamino and Deika had created a power vacuum. The Paranormal Liberation Front, led by Shigaraki, seemed to be in hiding, consolidating their power. The remaining heroes worked tirelessly to maintain a fragile order. Everything felt like a heavy silence, the silence before a much larger storm.

That morning, the storm finally arrived.

I was in the dorm's common room with most of Class 1-A, enjoying a rare, quiet breakfast. The television was broadcasting the usual morning news. Suddenly, the broadcast was cut off. An "EMERGENCY NEWS" logo flashed on the screen.

"We interrupt this broadcast for an unprecedented weather report," a news anchor said, her face pale and her voice trembling. "The national meteorological center is reporting the sudden appearance of an anomalous and incredibly powerful blizzard over the prefecture of Hokkaido. The entire city of Sapporo and its surrounding areas... have been completely covered in ice in less than an hour."

A satellite image appeared on the screen, and we all held our breath. A giant, perfect, and unnatural white vortex was swirling over the northern part of Japan. It wasn't a natural phenomenon. It was the work of a Quirk. A Quirk with a power scale that could change the climate of an entire region.

"What kind of power..." Todoroki whispered beside me, even he, the master of ice, looked shocked by the scale of this power.

Phones began to ring throughout the dorm. Our teachers were being summoned for an emergency meeting. All of Japan was on the highest alert. The initial reports from the hero teams sent to investigate were horrific. They couldn't get in. The entire city of Sapporo was encased in a giant ice dome hundreds of meters thick. Inside, all communications were dead. It was an impenetrable ice fortress.

As the world was panicking and the best pro heroes in Japan gathered to try and find a way to break through the ice fortress, a new broadcast took over all television, radio, and internet channels worldwide.

This time, the image came from inside the ice city. The camera showed a view of downtown Sapporo, which had now been transformed into a magnificent and terrifying work of ice art. Skyscrapers were encased in glistening ice, and in the main square stood a giant ice palace with towering spires, as if sculpted by the hand of a god.

At the top of the highest tower, on a glittering ice throne, sat a woman. She was tall, graceful, with long blue hair that cascaded down like a glacier. She wore a pristine white military uniform adorned with unrecognized medals, and on her forehead was etched a strange, diamond-shaped symbol. Her face was flawlessly beautiful, but her eyes radiated absolute power and a cold cruelty.

She stood up, and her voice—calm, clear, and filled with an undeniable authority—was heard on every speaker on the planet.

"Citizens of the world," she said, her voice showing no anger or hatred, only absolute certainty. "You have lived in an illusion called 'peace.' A peace maintained by weak heroes bound by ridiculous rules. A peace constantly disturbed by chaotic villains who have no purpose."

The camera panned down, showing tens of thousands of soldiers in white uniforms standing in perfect formation on the icy streets below her palace.

"That era is over," she continued. "I, General Esdeath, and my army, the Apex Supremacy Front, have come to offer a new order. An order based on the only truth in this universe: the strong rule, and the weak submit. Under my rule, there will be no crime, because all criminals will be annihilated. There will be no war, because all resistance will be crushed. There will only be order. An order enforced by absolute power."

"This city is proof of our strength. This is the model for our new world. To the leaders of the world, the heroes, and the villains... I give you one choice. Submit to me, or be annihilated. There are no negotiations. There are no compromises."

The broadcast ended, leaving the world in a stunned silence.

At the PLF headquarters, Shigaraki smashed the monitor in front of him with a single touch. "DAMN QUEEN! WHO IS SHE?! HOW DARE SHE STEAL MY STAGE!"

On a rooftop, Akame stared at the broadcast on her phone. Her face, for the first time, showed an expression of pure terror. She recognized her. General Esdeath. The strongest monster from her old world. How could she possibly be here too?

And in the U.A. dorm common room, I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. The moment I heard the name "Esdeath," the moment I saw her face, a wave of emotions that were not my own exploded within my soul. It was the echo of the original Tatsumi, a painful mixture of overwhelming fear, a forced admiration for her power, and a strange, possessive longing. My mind felt like it was about to split in two.

The dragon's heartbeat in my chest pounded wildly, not from fear of a predator, but from recognizing its eternal rival, the power that opposed it, the object of the tyrant's obsession.

"Tatsumi-kun! Are you okay?! Your face is so pale!" Momo's anxious voice sounded as if from a great distance.

I clutched my head, trying to withstand the storm of conflicting emotions within me. I stared at the television screen, at the image of the city of Sapporo, which had now become the personal ice kingdom of a tyrant from another world. The war I had been anticipating against Shigaraki now felt like a minor problem. The chessboard had been flipped, and a new Demon Queen had just placed herself on the throne, threatening to freeze the entire world.

I managed to mutter her name, a name I shouldn't have known, a name that came not from my memory as an Earthling, but from the screaming echo of a soul within me.

"No... it can't be... her..."