Tony didn't hesitate for a second, activating his thrusters to full power, turning into a streaking comet heading straight for the nuclear missile.
In the communication channel, everyone heard Tony's decision.
"Stark! Don't do anything stupid!" Captain America yelled.
"Tony..." Natasha covered her mouth.
Even Pepper Potts, watching the live broadcast all the way in Malibu, instantly burst into tears.
It was a heroic tragedy, a destined sacrifice.
Iron Man, a mere mortal, was fighting on par with gods. He was going to use his life to carry that missile of destruction into space, delivering it right back to those damn aliens!
How moving.
Even Frieza, standing on the rooftop, couldn't help but feel like applauding the dramatic scene.
At that moment, Tony had successfully intercepted the missile mid-air. He was using his back to hold the warhead, forcefully changing its trajectory. The immense thrust caused the metal of his armor to groan and twist.
"This is the end of the line..."
Tony looked up at the rapidly approaching top of Stark Tower and the massive blue wormhole, feeling a flicker of relief in his heart.
Just as everyone held their breath, ready to witness this great sacrifice:
"That's enough. The buildup has been long enough."
On the rooftop, Frieza adjusted his tie, a look of playful malice flickering in his scarlet eyes.
The main course was served, and there was no way he was giving it to someone else.
An opportunity like this—to show off to the entire world and harvest a massive amount of Fear Value—if he let Tony steal the spotlight, what kind of Emperor of the Universe was he?
"Loki, watch the house." Frieza ordered without looking back. "If that device gets shut down, or if this floor gets messed up, I'm throwing you into the sun for fuel."
"Yes, yes, yes! You can count on me! Not a single fly will get past!" Loki nodded so vigorously his head looked like a bobblehead.
Whoosh—!
The next second, Frieza's figure instantly vanished from the spot.
He was so fast he left a circular white sonic boom cloud hanging above the tower!
---
Mid-air.
Tony was gritting his teeth, enduring immense G-forces, as he struggled to push the missile upward.
Suddenly, a golden figure appeared beside him without warning, flying at a speed that was perfectly synchronized with his.
The figure's posture was so relaxed and effortless, it was as if he were strolling through a garden, not intercepting a nuclear missile.
"Well, good afternoon, Mr. Stark."
Frieza's smiling face appeared on Tony's heads-up display. He even gave a very polite wave.
"Where are we off to? Bringing such a big firework with you?"
"Frieza?!" Tony's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "What are you doing here?!"
"That's not important." Frieza glanced at the flaming missile, his eyes full of appreciation. "What is important is that this thing is too dangerous. Little children playing with fire tend to wet the bed."
"Get out of the way! This thing is going to explode in less than a minute!" Tony roared. "I have to send it through the wormhole! It's the only way! You'll die!"
"Die? Oh-ho-ho-ho..."
Frieza laughed, practically tearing up.
"That word is simply not in my vocabulary."
He reached out a hand and gently placed it on the several-ton nuclear missile, as if it were a toy balloon.
"Your heroic game is over, Stark. This 'firework' belongs to me now."
"What?!" Tony hadn't even processed it.
"And away you go!"
Frieza didn't use much force, just a casual push.
But for a mortal, this was an irresistible, all-powerful force!
Bang!
Tony felt an unstoppable, massive impact. He, along with his Iron Man suit, instantly lost balance. He was sent flying through the air like a crushed soda can hit by a high-speed train, spiraling and tumbling, with Jarvis's frantic alarm screaming in his ears.
"Aaaahhh—"
Tony screamed as he flew for several miles, finally hitting the wall of the distant Chrysler Building with a CRASH! He was embedded in the wall like a human stencil, unable to be peeled off.
"The annoyance is gone."
Frieza held the massive nuclear missile with one hand, like he was holding a basketball.
He looked up at the gigantic wormhole, his eyes blazing with a mixture of greed and madness.
"Now, it's time to witness a miracle."
At this moment, all of New York, and the entire world watching via satellite feed, were stunned.
The blonde man in the suit, single-handedly holding a nuclear missile, not only didn't slow down but suddenly accelerated, turning into a purple streak and rocketing toward the sky!
"What is he doing?!" Captain America stood on the rubble, looking up at the retreating figure and muttering.
Along the way, countless Chitauri flyers swarmed him like sharks smelling blood, trying to stop the mad human.
"Get lost, you small fry!"
Frieza didn't even look at them, casually swinging his free left hand.
Sizzz! Sizzz! Sizzz—!
Countless purple Death Beams erupted like a hailstorm.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of brilliant fireballs exploded in the sky. The Chitauri attempting to intercept him were instantly shredded into a shower of debris.
[Ding! Displayed terrifying power to the entire world, Fear Value +50!]
[Ding! Fear Value +50!]
[Ding! Fear Value +50!]
...
The chiming notifications were more beautiful than any Mozart symphony.
Frieza, pushing the missile, plunged headfirst into the deep blue wormhole.
The scene before him instantly shifted. The dark, cold, silent expanse of space appeared before his eyes.
And not far away, the sight was breathtaking.
The colossal Chitauri Mothership, a giant steel beast suspended in the cosmos, was surrounded by a dense, ready-to-launch fleet.
It was enough firepower to destroy Earth countless times over.
But in Frieza's eyes, they were all just walking "Fear Value."
"Well, look at all of you, gathered here."
Frieza floated in the vacuum. There was no air, no sound, but he could still speak freely (through mental vibration), and his suit remained utterly wrinkle-free.
He looked at the vast fleet before him, an arrogant, menacing grin—the trademark of the Emperor of the Universe—spreading across his face.
"Since you're all here, you might as well stay."
"Taste the local delicacy the Earthlings sent you!"
Frieza's arm muscles slightly bulged. He put all his strength into it, throwing the nuclear missile in his hand like a javelin straight towards the core command center of the Chitauri Mothership!
Whoosh—
The nuclear missile became a streaking light of death, instantly traversing the distance in the vacuum.
Immediately after:
A white light, ten thousand times brighter than the sun, violently erupted in the darkness of space!
It was the light of destruction, the smile of the Grim Reaper.
The massive Mothership instantly vaporized at the epicenter of the nuclear explosion. The shockwave swept away everything else; the surrounding escort ships were torn to shreds like paper.
[Chitauri Fear Value +500]
[Chitauri Fear Value +500]
[Chitauri Fear Value +500]
[Chitauri Fear Value...]
Frieza spread his arms, basking in the light of the apocalypse, and burst into a wild, arrogant laughter as he watched the Fear Value counter climb relentlessly.
"Hahahaha! Explode! Destroy!"
"Tremble fiercely for me! Contribute that Fear Value, you bugs!"
"This is the sort of spectacle that King Frieza deserves! Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho..."