Chapter 155 : The Ice Queen's Game

Esdeath's words hung in the now-frozen air, each syllable feeling like a sharp shard of ice piercing my skin. "My dear Incursio." It wasn't a greeting; it was a claim of ownership. She didn't see me as an opponent. She saw me as a precious artifact that had returned to its rightful owner.

The echo of the original Tatsumi's soul within me screamed in a mixture of terror and a twisted, horrific longing. I forcibly suppressed that wave of emotion, pushed it down, and replaced it with the cold composure I had learned on the battlefield. I would not be her toy. I would not be her trophy.

"This armor has chosen a new master," I said, my calm, steady voice the only source of warmth in this icy landscape. "And that master is not you."

Esdeath laughed. It wasn't a loud or mocking laugh. It was a melodious laugh filled with amusement, like a goddess who was amused to see an ant try to challenge her. "Your courage... that's just like him, too," she said. "Very well. Before I take you home, I want to see what this toy of mine can do in new hands. Let's play."

She didn't attack me directly. That was too crude for her taste. Instead, she lifted a single, slender finger. From the frozen ground around me, dozens of ice soldiers began to rise. Each of them had perfect detail, from their glistening ice armor to the sharp ice swords in their hands. They didn't move stiffly; they moved with the agility of real warriors.

"Show me your power," Esdeath said, sitting on an ice throne she had just created from thin air, resting her chin on her hand as if about to watch a theater performance.

I knew this was a test. She wanted to measure my strength, to see my abilities. I also knew that I couldn't waste my energy fighting this endless army. My goal was to survive, to stall for time, and to lure her deeper into the island, closer to Endeavor's position.

I manifested my Dragon's Fang, the black blade feeling steady in my arm. I also summoned my leg guards for speed. I wasn't going to fight them all. I was going to dance among them.

The fight began. I became a black shadow darting between the ice soldiers. I dodged the slashes of ice swords, leaped over walls of ice shields, and used my blade only to shatter those who truly blocked my path. Every ice soldier I destroyed would reform from the surrounding ice a few moments later. This was a war of attrition I could not win.

"You're fast," Esdeath commented from her throne, her tone sounding slightly bored. "But you can only run. Is that all you can do, Tatsumi?"

The fact that she used the name 'Tatsumi' made my blood run cold. It was a deliberate psychological game.

In the hot volcanic cave, Endeavor watched the scene through a high-tech thermal scope. He couldn't see the details, but he could see one small hot spot (me, with my active heat adaptation aura) surrounded by dozens of moving cold spots. "The kid's being toyed with," he growled to himself. His hands itched to release his fire, but he held back. He had to wait for the signal. Patience was not his virtue, and this wait was a torment.

At the U.A. command center, our team was also watching with bated breath. "He's surrounded," Ryukyu said, her voice tense. "He's stalling for time. He's trying to lure Esdeath to the location we've designated."

"But his stamina... he won't last forever," Momo added with concern, her eyes fixed on my constantly declining biometric data.

I knew they were right. I couldn't keep this up. I had to change tactics. I stopped running and stood still in the middle of the ice army. I retracted my sword blade, leaving only my Incursio gauntlets.

Esdeath raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? Giving up?"

"Just changing my strategy," I replied.

I closed my eyes, focusing on Incursio's adaptation. I remembered Todoroki's fire, Dabi's fire, Ryukyu's fire breath. My armor had learned to absorb heat. But what if I reversed it? What if I didn't just generate heat for defense, but projected it as an attack?

I felt my dragon's heartbeat respond to the idea. This was something new, something I had never tried. I channeled the energy, not into a physical form like a sword, but into pure energy. My gauntlet began to glow a dim red, then brighter.

The ice soldiers charged at me. Just before they reached me, I opened my eyes and slammed my fist on the ground. Tyrant's Roar!

A concentrated wave of heat exploded from my fist, spreading in a circle around me. It wasn't fire. It was incredibly hot air, hot enough to make the nearby ice soldiers instantly melt into pools of water. I had created an opening.

For the first time, I saw a flicker of genuine surprise on Esdeath's face. "Interesting," she muttered. "Very interesting. You can not only withstand my cold, you can also create your own heat."

She stood up from her throne. "Alright. Playtime is over. Let me be the one to give you a lesson."

She disappeared from her throne.

I felt an incredible danger from behind. I turned, manifesting a chest plate by reflex. But I saw nothing. Then, I felt it. The time around me... was slowing down. No. Time wasn't slowing. I was slowing. The air around me felt as thick as ice.

Then, Esdeath appeared in front of me, walking casually, as if I were standing still. She smiled. "This is one of my most useful abilities," she said. "Its name is Mahapadma. The ability to freeze time and space itself."

I tried to move, to scream, but my body felt like it was encased in an invisible ice. I could only watch in horror as she raised her hand and created a rapier sword made of pure, incredibly dense ice.

"Don't worry," she whispered, the ice-cold tip of her sword touching the armor on my chest. "I'm not going to kill you. I just want to incapacitate you."

As she was about to stab me, as I thought it was all over, the dragon's heartbeat in my chest roared with incredible force. The echo of the original Tatsumi's soul, refusing to submit to this woman again, exploded within me. A chaotic wave of primal energy burst out of my body.

Time returned to normal with a violent jolt. The energy blast from Incursio had managed to disrupt her Mahapadma for a split second, giving me enough time to leap backward, dodging the stab that should have paralyzed me.

I landed hard, panting, feeling the remnants of the frozen time still clinging to my body. Esdeath looked at me, her eyes now no longer just showing amusement, but a dangerous admiration.

"You... you managed to resist my time-freeze?" she said, sounding truly impressed. "No one, not even in my old world, could do that. That armor... it truly has chosen you."

She laughed, this time a genuine laugh filled with the joy of a warrior who had finally found a worthy opponent. "Incredible! This is much more fun than I imagined!"

Far across the ocean, Akame was on a high-speed motorboat she had stolen, rocketing through the waves toward the coordinates of the volcanic island. She had gotten information from her underworld contacts that Ryukyu and Endeavor were heading there for a "secret operation." And she knew Tatsumi must be involved too. She felt the resonance of the two Teigu growing stronger. She knew the fight was about to begin. She had to hurry.

On the island, I knew I was in deep trouble. I had just survived her ultimate attack by luck and a desperate reaction from Incursio. I wouldn't survive a second time. I had managed to lure her far enough into the center of the island. It was time.

I backed away slowly, staying on guard. "You're strong, Esdeath," I said, using her name to provoke a reaction. "But you're alone here."

"Oh?" she replied, raising an eyebrow. "I'm never alone as long as I have ice around me."

She raised her hand, and from the frozen ground around her, dozens of giant ice dragons began to form, their empty eyes staring at me.

I had run out of tricks. I had run out of energy. I looked down at my trembling hand. Underneath my gauntlet, I secretly pressed a small emergency button that Momo had installed in my costume, a simple signal connected directly to Endeavor's console.

The signal was sent.

Esdeath smiled, seeing my despair. "Playtime is over, my love," she whispered, her voice carried on the freezing wind as she raised her hand to command her ice dragons to attack. "Now, it's time for you to come home."