The Ice Queen

I woke up in my room and sat up then noticed Himeko sitting in a chair by the window. She looked up and noticed I was awake. I frowned and looked down. "Bachiko...She betrayed us. She's gonna destroy everything. We can't let her do that. We need to find that original before her inverse does."

"You can't. It's too dangerous for you in the condition you're in. My squad will find her and bring her back here. This is the one time you just need to sit back and sit this one out." Himeko said then stood up and walked to my bed and rubbed my head. She kissed my forehead and smiled. "You've done enough for right now...Just rest."

I watched her leave my room and laid down and sighed. I rested my arm over my eyes. "Apeiron...why are you doing this now. Why do you feel the need to attack at the most peacefully moments..."

Himeko put on her battlesuit and closed her eyes. "It's been a while since we all worked together like this."

"Been too long." Ochiyo said as she put on her battlesuit. "Do you think it's wise to let Yoshida sit this one out? He's the only one we know who can handle Bachiko, even at her best."

"Are you implying we can't handle her? Our Ace is Naora and she's defeated Apeiron before. Bachiko isn't anything to us." Himeko said.

"It doesn't matter if we can handle her or not. The fact of the matter is we need to take her down and stop her attack. If she kills enough people, Iris will appear on Earth and be her next target." Naora said. "Our mission is to find Bachiko and neutralize her."

The other three nodded and they flew off. Mae watched them and looked at her phone. She sat in a rolling chair and sighed.

"Yoshida is our only chance of winning. Yeah he has the same goal to destroy the Hierarchy, but in the end he's doing it to save us. Bachiko wants us all dead...well her Space Variant does. Her Time Variant seems to be on par with humanity and only listens to Yoshida. If the two variants find each other...it will be over for us all." Yan Mei said and crossed her arms. "We should help out."

"I can't fight her. My equipment isn't strong enough to handle someone like Bachiko. The only weapon I have that can harm her is Ochiyo's Pistol, but it can only fire once every five minutes." Mae said.

"Everyone it's an emergency!" Orimi ran into the warehouse.

"Hm? What's the matter?" Melody asked.

"Big Brother is missing!" Orimi said looking worried.

"What?! We need to find him! He should be resting!" Melody said in shock.

I made my way into the forest once again. I panted and leaned against a tree. My legs felt so weak and my vision wasn't all the way there. I couldn't just lie down and allow Himeko and the others put themselves in danger. I kept pushing forward and used my aura to track down Bachiko. I heard a boom and looked behind me. I hit behind a tree and closed my eyes, sighing softly.

"I felt some energy over here. We should be nearing a monster." A man said and walked around. His forces followed him.

I felt someone cover my mouth then pull me into the bushes. I grunted lightly and looked back noticing it was Tsuki. "Tsuki...what was that for..?"

"Shhh...These hunters are different from the people we fought a while ago...They are different and are searching for you...when they encountered me they didn't attack because they've been tasked with hurting you and Bachiko. One of the ones hunting you is a monster who has Ice Manipulation." Tsuki whispered.

"I'm looking for Bachiko....well the Time Version of her. I need to get to her before the Space Variant gets to her." I said then went quiet when I heard footsteps nearby.

"That energy disappeared. He must've moved locations. Move out squad! We will check elsewhere!" The man commanded and flew off in his battlesuit. His forces followed him in the sky.

"He's gone.." I sighed then noticed frost collecting on the bush we were hiding in. I held Tsuki close and summoned a weak dark barrier around us and blocked the incoming ice spears.

We got out of bushes then I noticed a woman in the sky. She had snow white skin, icey blue lips and her eyes was light blue with no pupils. Her hair was icey blue and she had an ice crown over her head. She wore a dress that was made from ice. Whenever she was in the area a blizzard was soon to follow. I watched as she descended to the ground.

"You may have tricked that idiot, but you can't trick me, Yoshida Asato." The woman said and summoned her ice staff. "Lady Apeiron requests you come to the Monster Realm if you value your life."

"Tsuki. Run." I said.

"But, you can't fight! You're still recovering!" Tsuki grabbed my arm. "Allow me to stand with you!"

I looked back at Tsuki and smiled. "This is my fight. I'll return, and we will be together once again."

I summoned a small void behind Tsuki and pushed her inside. She looked shocked and held her hand out then screamed before the void closed and transported her home. I closed my eyes and looked ahead at the woman.

"I am Glayze...First in Command for the Primordial Monster Hunters. I have no issue killing you and freezing your heart if that's what I must do. I am hoping it doesn't come to that." Glayze said.

I closed my eyes and my aura calmly flowed around me. "It's gonna have to come to that. I will not go with you easily. I have my own agenda. If I am able to complete it, I will be able to save Earth and the Tree of Life and Death."

Glayze glared at me and pointed her staff at me. "Your foolish decision has cost you your life!"

She sent multiple ice spikes at me. I dodged them all then walked forward. She tapped her staff on the ground and I jumped up, dodging the spikes that protruded from the ground. I landed on the ground after the ice spikes disappeared. I walked forward once again with my eyes closed.

"You have Theora's power...How did you obtain her power?" Glayze asked and glared.

"It doesn't matter how I obtained it." I said then dashed to her and went for a strike. She dodged it by floating backwards.

She landed on the ground and summoned ice orbs around me. They crashed down one by one. I dodged them and dashed to her again then palmed her stomach. She groaned and stumbled backwards. I stomped my foot down and a wind pillar hit her chin. She groaned and fell to the ground. I opened my eyes and looked at Glayze.

"I do plan on killing Apeiron, but as I am now...I know I can't. The Hierarchy is corrupt and only has made Monsters suffer." I said.

"And you believe Thalamel and Lilith have done any better? Lilith singlehandedly ruins the balance the Monster Realm once had. She ruined the peace." Glayze said and looked at me.

"I don't care what she's done. I only care about what is going on now! My power to tame monsters and obtain power from it, she's scared of me. Scared to the point where she will put others in danger to kill me. Abandoned me and my sister for years, now that we have shown what we can do, she wants to take it all away. Her death will be merely satisfying and it will allow new order to take place. I want a safe world for my sister. Apeiron's death is needed for that to happen." I said. "Not only that but the destruction on Space Bachiko."

"Tch..." Glayze closed her eyes and stood up. "You're merely only hoping for a fantasy. Apeiron is way stronger than you will ever become! Apeiron is the law! She is Order! As the Primordial Monster, she is all. You are making a mistake going against her."

"Why do you follow her? Why do you insist that she is in the right and I am wrong?" I asked.

"I follow her because she is my creator. My leader. Anything she says is absolute! My loyalty belongs to her. She's is the light that shines brightly in this forsaken world. Humans and those associated deserve to die for what they have done to her." Glayze said. "You are blind if you haven't seen what the humans have done. Even to your own sister. For years monsters have been ridiculed and abused. Innocent or not, monsters are being killed for simply being sent here."

"And who do you think sent them here? Yeah humans that have abused monsters are pieces of shit, but who do you think has control over the monsters? Apeiron. She sent them here. She's the one who got them killed and the few who didn't die, I have saved. Rimuri, Karasu, Tsuki, Exousia, The Elemental Sisters, Bellatrix, Bachiko. I saved them from being killed with help of course. Himeko, Naora, Ochiyo, and Namiyo are helping to keep them safe. If you think Apeiron is perfect then you are just as blind as I am." I said.

"What..?" Glayze glared and gripped my shirt.

"Even still...we are no better than humans are to each other. We live in a cycle. We live to kill and I want to end that. We live to be in shambles. We live to only be in Apeiron's shadow and follow her words like drones. That is the difference between us and inverses. Inverses live with free will. Look at Spatial Bachiko. She doesn't follow any rules, more or less like normal Bachiko. Bachiko is her own person. Look at Lilith. She is below Thalamel and still acts upon her own accord. People who follow Apeiron don't have that luxury." I said.

"You're wrong." Glayze pushed me to the ground and stomped on my stomach and I groaned. "Those who defy her don't get to have freewill. The only thing you get is death."

"And what are you getting from it? Notoriety? A boost in position? All of that is meaningless. Look at how Theora and Cosmia treat their people. They have full freewill, they can be who they want while still choosing to be faithful to her. Apeiron...doesn't even allow her own people to be who they want. She doesn't accept those...who she deems weak. A defect." I said and grabbed her ankle.

Glayze looked at me and loosened the pressure off my stomach.

"She...abandoned me and Orimi for years because we were weak. She left us because we didn't meet her standards. Our own mother, abandoned us. You don't understand how that feels because you were created with the might of a monster. We were born like any other human. We were part human, we couldn't help what we have become. We didn't ask to be what we were and she still walked away. Now you tell me...who's right and wrong." I said.

"She...didn't tell us that. She told us that you ran away. She said that you two had abandoned your home because you two were sad you didn't get power." Glayze said and got off me.

"She lied. She's lied to all of you. She is more of a manipulator than current Lilith. I...must do this not because I want revenge, I'm doing this to put an end to all struggle on Earth. I can't do that without you.." I said and stood up. "I need your power.."

Glayze looked at me and allowed me to place my hands on her arms. "We can't...If I help you, I'd be betraying the one person I can't go against. She will kill me."

"I will protect you. I won't let any harm come your way...I will love you in ways no one has ever dared to do. Please.." I said.

"I.."

"Don't. Move." A man said as he pointed a gun at the back of my head. "Good job on tricking him, Glayze. Now all we have to do is take him back with us."

I looked at Glayze. She looked at me and at the man. She closed her eyes then tapped her staff against the ground. I looked at her then noticed the area being covered in ice.

"You better hope your words aren't false." Glayze said then kissed my lips and gave me the ability to control ice.

"Glayze..?! What are you-"

"Ultimate Freeze!" Glayze yelled and awakened her monster ability.

She began to release a blizzard so powerful it began to even freeze time itself. I grunted and covered my eyes as the blizzard grew stronger. I opened my eyes and looked around. Glayze created an Arctic Domain in the forest. I snapped my fingers and resumed time. I looked at the man and noticed the bullets in the air and noticed he was frozen solid.

"I'll help you find Bachiko." Glayze said.

"Okay." I smiled and looked at Glayze.