"Die?"
Irani lay slumped amidst the ruins. That golden uniform, which once represented supreme authority, was now covered in dust and bloodstains.
She looked at the purple giant before her. The fear surging from the depths of her soul made her teeth chatter.
"I... I surrender..."
"We are willing to submit! Willing to become Lord Frieza's slaves!"
Irani squeezed these words out with difficulty, tears mixing with dust as they flowed down, leaving two tragic streaks on her face.
She didn't want to die.
Even as a slave, even living without dignity...
As long as she could live, she was willing to even shine that demon's shoes.
However, faced with this humble plea, Thanos's purple face didn't show the slightest hint of being moved. He tilted his head slightly, a heart-palpitating flicker of mockery crossing his fierce eyes.
"Surrender?"
Thanos's voice was deep and resonant, sounding like a judgment delivered from the depths of hell.
"Regrettably, Nova Prime."
"Lord Frieza gave you a chance."
Thanos extended a thick finger and pointed at the sky above, which had already turned purple.
"Just now, when Lord Frieza descended upon this star sector, he mercifully issued you an ultimatum."
"But..."
Thanos's gaze turned cold, and a terrifying killing intent instantly locked onto Irani.
"You refused."
"You chose to resist, chose to use those ridiculous toy guns to fire upon Lord Frieza 's vessel."
"That is a grave offense."
"No! That was the Commander acting on his own! I didn't know!" Irani screamed, trying to shift the blame onto the dead.
"That doesn't matter." Thanos shook his head, his terrifyingly large palm slowly tightening.
"What matters is that Lord Frieza doesn't like disobedient dogs."
"And..."
A cruel smile formed at the corner of Thanos's lips.
"I also need a head of sufficient weight to serve as my first performance report after taking office as the 'demolition office director'."
"It is an honor that you were chosen."
"No!!!"
Irani let out a desperate roar.
But before those purple iron pincers, her struggle was as powerless as an infant's.
Crack!
A crisp sound of bone fracturing rang out, enough to make one's teeth ache.
Irani's head slumped powerlessly to the side, the light in her eyes completely extinguished. Even in death, her face still held that expression of extreme terror and resentment.
"Hmph, fragile life."
Thanos casually tossed the corpse onto the ground, like discarding a broken toy.
He turned around, looking at the remnants of the Nova Corps behind him who were already scared out of their wits.
And further away, the shivering civilians of Xandar.
"Listen!"
With the enhancement of Ki, Thanos's voice spread through the entire city like rolling thunder.
"This is the consequence of defying Lord Frieza!"
"From this day forward, Xandar ceases to exist!"
"This is now Frieza Galaxy Mine No. 001!"
"Everyone still breathing, report to the mining area immediately!"
"If anyone dares to say a single word of dissent..."
Thanos pointed at Irani's corpse on the ground. "This is your example!"
Dead silence.
On the entire planet of Xandar, with its billions of people, not even a single sob dared to be heard at this moment. There was only the uniform sound of knees hitting the ground.
It was the sound of a civilization's backbone being completely snapped.
...
High above.
Inside the observation deck of the flagship 'emperor'.
Frieza sat in his golden egg-shaped cockpit. He swirled a glass of vintage wine scavenged from Irani's cellar.
He looked at the ants kneeling below and at that high-spirited purple brute, a satisfied smile on his lips.
"Oh-ho-ho..."
"Though Thanos's aesthetic is still a pile of dog shit, I must say, his efficiency in handling matters is much better than that big idiot Apocalypse, who only knows how to use brute force."
Frieza took a sip of wine, a joyful light flashing in his crimson eyes.
[Ding! Detected that the Nova civilization has completely submitted!]
[Fear points +300 Billion!]
[Ding! Detected that the entire territory of Xandar has been incorporated into the domain!]
[Fear points +500 Billion!]
...
Compared to the Fear Points gained from the 'Ragnarok' exhibition on Earth, these Fear Points were just mosquito legs but the sheer quantity was satisfying. This was a sustainable field of Fear Points.
"Hmm, it seems this 'Cosmic Demolition Office' model is very successful."
Frieza set down his wine glass and stretched.
"Since we've achieved a successful start, don't stop."
He pressed the communication button on the side of the cockpit, and his elegant voice traveled directly to Thanos's ears via the Quantum Network.
"Thanos."
"Your subordinate is here!"
Thanos's voice came through immediately, filled with respect and fanaticism.
"Well done."
Frieza gave a faint compliment before changing the subject.
"However, this is only the beginning. I see a large red area on the star chart over there."
Frieza pointed to a massive and aggressive star system on the holographic star chart.
The Large Magellanic Cloud.
The territory of the Kree Empire in this Universe.
"That group of blue-skinned fellows, I hear they have quite the temper?"
"And they always pride themselves on being a high-level civilization of the Universe?"
A hint of mockery flashed in Frieza's eyes.
"I don't like their high-and-mighty attitude."
"Go."
"Take your fleet, take the Ginyu Force."
"Go teach that Supreme Intelligence or whatever it is a lesson."
"Tell it that in this Universe, there is only one intelligence that is supreme."
"And that is my will."
"Understood!"
Thanos's reply came without the slightest hesitation, an uncontrollable battle intent in his tone.
—
Half an hour later.
In the sky above Xandar, which had just been baptized by the fires of war.
Those ten thousand white warships ignited their engines once more. The blue tail flames lit up the entire starry sky like beacons.
The massive fleet turned its bows and headed toward the distant Large Magellanic Cloud.
Aboard the flagship.
Thanos stood in the center of the bridge, looking at the deep Universe ahead.
Behind him stood Apocalypse, Erik, Loki, and others, all with equally excited expressions.
"Did you all hear that?" Thanos's voice was low and powerful.
"Lord Frieza is reasonably satisfied with our performance."
"But!"
Thanos spun around abruptly, a fierce light glinting in his purple eyes.
"This is not enough!"
"Far from enough!"
"We are Lord Frieza's guards! The strongest demolition team in the Universe!"
"Just taking down one Xandar, how does that reflect our value?"
Thanos extended his large hand and clenched it into a tight fist.
"Next target, the Kree Empire."
"I want every planet of that blue-skinned empire to be planted with Lord Frieza's flag within a week."
"Who is for it? Who is against it?"
"Kill!!!"
Apocalypse was the first to roar out, his blue face written over with tyranny.
"I've been annoyed with those Kree for a long time!"
"I didn't get my fill of killing on Planet Frieza 004 last time. This time, I must kill to my heart's content."
Erik sneered, the surrounding metal components vibrating slightly along with his mood.
"The Kree Empire's fleet... what wonderful metal that is. I can hardly wait."
Even Loki couldn't help but lick his lips at this moment, an evil light flashing in his eyes.
"Supreme Intelligence?"
"I wonder if that big head can be used as a ball to kick around?"
Looking at this group of subordinates who had completely turned into War Machines, Thanos nodded with satisfaction.
"Very good."
"Full speed ahead!"
"Target, Hala!"
Boom——
The Space-Fold Engines were engaged at full power.
The massive fleet instantly vanished from the spot, turning into streaks of light that pierced through the barriers of dimensions.