A dazzling fireworks display blossomed in the deep, silent void of space—it was the final death cry of the Chitauri Mothership.
But it still wasn't enough.
Even though the "brain" of the operation had been physically formatted, the remaining Chitauri fleet scattered across the star system was still terrifyingly large. Like a swarm of worker bees without a queen, after a brief moment of stunned paralysis, they relied solely on their biological instinct for destruction, mindlessly launching suicide charges toward the terrifying, golden figure radiating immense power—Frieza.
Countless streams of pale blue energy blasts poured in like a torrential downpour, instantly engulfing the figure in the expensive suit.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fire and light consumed everything.
However, when the smoke cleared, Frieza still hovered in the vacuum, not a single wrinkle on his suit. His dazzling blonde hair barely fluttered in the energy aftermath, as if the massive barrage of firepower, enough to level a city, had been nothing more than a gentle breeze.
"Tsk, what a rude welcoming committee."
Frieza didn't even bother to brush off the non-existent dust. He looked at the dense swarm of ships, like a plague of locusts, and a flicker of bored weariness crossed his eyes.
"An attack of this level doesn't even qualify as an itch."
"Fine. Since you're all in such a hurry to join your Mothership, I, your great Emperor, will graciously send you on your way."
Frieza slowly raised his right hand, extending his index finger. A blinding spot of crimson light instantly condensed at the tip.
Though small, the light seemed to contain the horrifying power to destroy stars.
"Death Beam Barrage!"
Shwoop! Shwoop! Shwoop!
In the next second, countless crimson death rays shot out from his fingertip like a shower of fireworks!
The beams were too fast to be seen, cutting trails of death through the vacuum. Each beam precisely pierced through one, sometimes even several, Chitauri ships.
There was no resistance, no hesitation.
The Leviathan creatures, supposedly armored and robust, were like paper in the face of the Death Beams, instantly vaporized, detonated, and reduced to cosmic dust.
Rumble!
The continuous explosions linked together into a sea of fire in space. Frieza was like an elegant conductor, his finger movements orchestrating a symphony of destruction.
[Ding! Chitauri Patrol Ship destroyed! Fear Points +500!]
[Ding! Leviathan Beast destroyed! Fear Points +1,000!]
[Ding! Chitauri Commander detected in extreme fear! Fear Points +2,000!]
...
Listening to the satisfying, cash-register-like sound in his mind, the smile on Frieza's face widened.
"Ohohoho... just like that! Even biological weapons feel fear in the face of absolute power, don't they?"
---
In a surviving command vessel not far away, the Chitauri leader in charge of the fleet was clutching its head, letting out an ear-splitting shriek as it watched the demonic figure on the screen. Its already limited mind was now completely filled with pure terror.
"Monster! That's a monster! Retreat! Quick, inform Thanos!"
Unfortunately, before its signal could be sent, a purple beam of light pierced the command bridge, instantly vaporizing the leader along with the entire ship.
Meanwhile, on Earth, atop Stark Tower.
The massive space wormhole remained wide open, like an eye peering into the universe.
The Avengers on the ground, though on Earth, could still glimpse the action in space through that gigantic blue gap.
In that moment, it was as if all of Manhattan had been muted.
Captain America, Steve Rogers, looked up, his Vibranium shield hanging uselessly by his side. His eyes, which had witnessed the cruelty of countless wars, were now filled only with bewilderment and shock.
He had seen fire, he had seen bombings, but he had never seen a man—a man who looked like a playboy—single-handedly annihilate an alien fleet in space.
The feeling was like watching a mythological deity punish humanity.
"How... how is that possible?" Steve murmured, feeling his entire worldview shatter.
In the rubble nearby, Tony Stark, who had just extricated himself from a wall, was pale beneath his faceplate.
J.A.R.V.I.S. was blaring an alert: "Sir, detecting extremely high-energy signatures! That energy level... exceeds readings from ground zero of a nuclear detonation! If he were to unleash that attack on Earth's surface, New York... no, the entire East Coast might cease to exist."
Tony swallowed hard, looking at the golden figure creating fireworks in the sky. For the first time, he felt a profound sense of helplessness regarding the word "power."
"J.A.R.V.I.S., you said he was a real estate developer? Looks like he wants to buy the whole universe just to tear it down!"
As for Thor, the God of Thunder, he gripped Mjolnir, his hand clenching and unclenching. As the warrior god of Asgard, his instinct was to fight, but his reason told him the figure above was more dangerous than any monster he had ever encountered in the Nine Realms.
"Even my father, in his prime... he could probably only manage this much," Thor said with deep solemnity.
Just as the people on the ground were questioning reality, Frieza had completed his cleanup in space.
The once dense Chitauri fleet was now a scattered collection of space debris.
"Phew... a little light exercise. I feel quite refreshed."
Frieza straightened his collar and glanced at the system display.
[Current Accumulated Fear Points: 1,000,000,000.]
"Oh-ho, one billion already? Looks like this trip into space was well worth the ticket price. Still a ways to go before I hit the ten billion needed to unlock my Second Form, but at least I've reached a tenth of the mini-goal."
Frieza nodded in satisfaction, then focused his gaze on the Earth below.
A beautiful little blue marble was waiting for him down there.
"Time to go collect the rent."
Whoosh!
The golden figure turned into a blur of light, instantly shooting through the space wormhole and reappearing on the rooftop of Stark Tower.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the invisible pressure made the already wrecked air on the rooftop feel heavy and tense.
By this time, the Avengers had also arrived on the roof.
Looking at the man who was completely unharmed and whose hair hadn't even been mussed, everyone's emotions were intensely complicated.
"Uh... look, even though your methods were a little... dramatic," Tony Stark was the first to break the silence, opening his faceplate to reveal a strained smile. "But regardless, you saved New York, and maybe the whole planet. Thanks, buddy."
"He's right," Captain America stepped forward. Although still wary, his voice held a hint of respect. "While your actions were... extreme, we still thank you for eliminating the invaders."
Black Widow and Hawkeye also nodded their acknowledgment.
In their minds, although Frieza was bizarre and his power terrifying, he was the one who, in the critical moment, carried the nuke into the portal and casually wiped out the aliens' home base.
By all accounts, he was an ally... right?
Especially Tony, whose mind was spinning, thinking: This guy said he was in real estate. Could I convince him to join the Avengers? Or at least form a technological partnership?
"Thanks?"
Frieza turned around, his gaze sweeping over the slightly battered superheroes, the curve of his lips revealing undisguised contempt.
"I don't need your cheap thanks. That stuff won't get you a single cent in the bank."
He didn't even spare them a proper look, walking straight toward the still-running space device.
The blue Cosmic Cube (Space Stone) lay quietly within, radiating an alluring light.
"This thing made a mess of my building. As compensation, it belongs to me now."