Without his hammer, Thor still had his fists and the divine power of an Asgardian.
Boom!
Thor charged at Frieza like a mad bull, with an unstoppable momentum. Each step he took made the rooftop tremble.
He swung his fist with all his might, aiming at Frieza's head.
Facing this furious blow, Frieza casually raised a single finger.
Yes, just an index finger.
Bang!
Thor's full-force punch landed on that finger but the result was astonishing.
The finger remained completely still, like a towering mountain, effortlessly blocking Thor's charge.
"Too slow, too weak."
Frieza shook his head, his eyes filled with disappointment.
"Is this the so-called God of Thunder? Without your hammer, all you know are these street brawling tricks?"
"Get lost."
Before he finished speaking, Frieza flicked that finger lightly.
Snap!
It was like flicking away an annoying fly.
A terrifying shockwave instantly erupted, slamming heavily into Thor's chest.
"Pfft!"
Thor felt as if he'd been struck by a high-speed train. He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward faster than he had charged forward.
Rumble!
He crashed heavily into the wall behind him, embedding himself completely, unable to pull himself out.
"Thor!"
Steve and Tony exclaimed, their faces pale with shock.
Thor struggled to crawl out of the wall, wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, and shakily stood up. In his eyes, besides anger, there was a deep trace of fear.
Crushing.
This was a complete and utter crushing of power.
"Don't look at me like that." Frieza elegantly retracted his finger, still wearing that infuriating smile on his face.
"Actually, your abilities aren't bad."
"Compared to me, Frieza, the Emperor of the Universe, the difference is like a firefly to the sun. But that doesn't matter."
Frieza looked Thor up and down like a customer choosing goods, then nodded. "Your body is quite sturdy, very resilient. I think you're qualified to join my army. Perhaps as a meat shield or something, you should be very competent."
Before Thor could speak, Tony beside him couldn't hold back.
"What kind of joke is this?!"
Tony's faceplate slid open, and his palm repulsors glowed brightly. "Join your army? Be our boss? Do you pay wages? Do you offer social security and housing funds?"
"We are the Avengers! We will never bow to a villain like you! And we certainly won't join some damn army!"
Tony's voice was filled with determination. "Avengers, assemble! Let's go all out! I refuse to believe he's truly invincible!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Tony's shoulder-mounted micro-missiles instantly launched, trailing flames as they shot towards Frieza.
Steve hurled his Vibranium shield, which cut a strange arc through the air.
Natasha fired both her pistols, and Barton shot his specialized explosive arrows.
"Hulk! Smash him!"
"Roar—!"
The Hulk, who had been charging up nearby, could no longer hold back. He let out a bestial roar, and his massive green body leaped high, clasping his hands together and bringing them down with immense force towards Frieza's head.
Facing this overwhelming assault, the smile on Frieza's face not only didn't disappear but became even brighter.
"Oh ho ho ho... That's right, it's a little more interesting when you all come at once."
He maintained his elegant posture, not even shifting his feet.
Only his right hand became a blur.
Clink! Clink! Clink! Boom! Boom!
The missiles, bullets, and arrows, the moment they approached him, seemed to hit an invisible wall.
No, not a wall.
It was his finger.
His finger was incredibly fast, precisely detonating every missile in mid-air and deflecting every bullet.
The Vibranium shield had just flown in front of him when he hooked it with a single finger, sending it spinning back, almost decapitating Captain America.
"Too slow, too slow, still too slow."
Frieza commented as he dealt with everyone's attacks, moving with the ease of someone strolling through their own backyard.
"Roar!"
The Hulk finally reached him, his massive fists bringing down a gust of wind.
"Big guy, you're too noisy."
Frieza didn't even look, extending a single finger to meet the Hulk's fist. That green fist, capable of smashing tanks, simply stopped.
Then, Frieza lightly bent and flicked his finger.
Thump!
The Hulk's enormous body was like a green rubber ball, flung away. He crashed through two floors and disappeared somewhere.
Immediately after, Frieza's figure weaved through the crowd.
No one saw his movements clearly. Only the continuous sound of fingers flicking foreheads could be heard.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
"Ah!" Tony cried out, his suit losing control as he flew backward.
"Ugh!" Steve grunted, sent tumbling several times on the ground.
Natasha and Barton were completely helpless, knocked unconscious in a corner.
In less than ten seconds, the battle was over.
The so-called Avengers, Earth's strongest superhero team, now lay scattered on the ground, groans rising and falling.
Despair.
An unprecedented despair enveloped everyone's hearts.
They had faced powerful enemies before, but never one that made them unable to even muster the will to resist.
This was not a battle on the same dimension at all.
Frieza clapped his hands, as if he had just done something trivial.
He walked over to Tony, who was still struggling to get up, looking down at him. His face still wore that smile that felt like a spring breeze yet sent chills down their spines.
"Look at you all, how pathetic."
"My earlier offer is still valid, you know."
Frieza held up a finger and wiggled it in front of them.
"Now is the best time to join my army. After all, those who join now will be veterans."
"Although your combat power... tsk tsk, if you'll forgive my bluntness, it's probably not even 1000. In the universe, that's just cannon fodder level."
The Avengers were bewildered. Combat power of 1000? What kind of unit of measurement was that?
"However, I, the great Emperor, am sentimental." Frieza spread his hands, like a generous philanthropist.
"Those who join now are veterans. Do you understand 'veterans'? Even if you're as weak as chicks, as long as you're among the first batch of employees, I, Frieza, will not treat you unfairly. Social security, universal healthcare, year-end bonuses, and it's not impossible for each of you to get a planet to be governor of in the future."
This pie he was drawing was perfectly round and grand.
"Cough..."
Natasha clutched her chest, struggling to lift her head. A stubborn light still flickered in her eyes. "Dream on... We'd rather die than join... such an evil army..."
"Evil?"
When Frieza heard this word, he didn't get angry. Instead, it was as if he had heard the highest praise.
His eyes lit up, and he nodded excitedly. "Well said. I love that word."
"If you're not evil enough, how can you be an Emperor of the Universe? If you're not evil enough, how can you rule over those unruly commoners?"
With that, Frieza no longer paid attention to the defeated soldiers.
His body slowly floated upwards, rising higher and higher, until he could overlook the entire top floor of Stark Tower, overlook all of Manhattan, and even overlook the entire world.
He spread his arms, his golden hair whipping in the wind, his cape flapping loudly behind him.
At this moment, the aura around him was unleashed without reservation, and the terrifying oppressive feeling made the air within several kilometers incredibly heavy.
He lowered his head and, with an undeniable, imperious tone, slowly spoke to the Avengers below, to the live broadcast cameras of the surrounding media helicopters, and to all the humans watching the broadcast worldwide.
"Whether you are willing to join my army or not, it no longer matters."
"What matters is that I have an announcement to make."
Frieza's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached every corner, penetrating everyone's ears.
"From today onwards, this Earth... is my, Frieza's, private property."
"Every inch of land here, every city, and even each of your lives, belongs to me."
A smile of extreme confidence and arrogance appeared on his lips.
"Remember, Earthlings."
"From now on, this Earth... will be named Frieza."
***
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