In the void.
It was a silence like death itself.
The only sound was the pained gasping of four entities—beings who once represented the highest laws of the cosmos, now reduced to wretched, physical forms.
Frieza floated before them, holding four golden chains materialized by the Reality Stone.
The other ends of the chains were fastened around the necks of Eternity, Infinity, Death, and Oblivion.
It looked for all the world like he was walking four freshly broken hunting dogs.
"My, my..."
Frieza gave the chains a gentle tug, looking down at the four twisted faces filled with terror.
On his black-gold face, a smile appeared—elegant, yet utterly cruel.
"You lot look much more pleasing to the eye now."
"Compared to those vague, ethereal concepts, I much prefer this tactile sensation of flesh and blood."
Eternity opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
But the fear stemming from the depths of his soul prevented him from uttering a single syllable.
They had lost.
Lost completely and utterly.
Their laws rewritten, their existence dimensionally downgraded.
They were no longer gods.
They were merely playthings in Frieza's hands.
"Alright then."
Frieza raised his left hand, the Space Stone glowing with brilliant blue light.
"Since the fight is over, it's time to head home."
"After all, I need to show my employees the results of this little business trip."
HUMMM————!!!
A massive blue portal, large enough for a planet to pass through, roared open in the shattered dimension.
On the other side of the portal...
Was Frieza Planet 002 (Xandar), now remodeled into a fortress of steel!
...
Xandar, The Legion Plaza.
The square was already packed with a dense sea of Frieza Force soldiers. Tens of thousands of warships hovered in the sky, blotting out the sun.
The moment the blue light gate opened in the sky...
A terrifying aura, heavy enough to crush stars, descended instantly!
BOOM!
All soldiers—whether mechanical lifeforms or organic beings—felt their knees buckle under the pressure and knelt in unison.
"WE WELCOME THE GREAT KING'S TRIUMPHANT RETURN!!!"
The roar shook the clouds.
Under the gaze of millions, Frieza's black-gold figure walked slowly out of the light gate, holding the four chains.
Like a hunter dragging his trophies home.
Behind him, dragged along the ground, bloodied and pathetic, were the four Great Abstracts.
In that moment...
The entire square fell into a dead silence.
Then, it erupted into a frenzy of near-madness—a mix of fanaticism and terror.
What... is that?!
That giant whose body looks like the starry sky!
That skeleton radiating the aura of death!
Even though they had been turned into physical beings, even though they were on their last breath... the residual divine pressure still made every creature present feel their souls trembling!
"Are those... the laws of the universe themselves?!"
Thanos, kneeling at the very front, felt his purple pupils contract violently.
As a warlord who had once delved into cosmic secrets, he recognized these four entities at a glance.
Eternity! Infinity! Death! Oblivion!
The four legendary pillars that maintained the operation of the universe! Myths among myths!
And now...
They were being led by the King on a leash, like dogs?!
"The King's... The King's power is divine!!"
Thanos's voice trembled. He slammed his head heavily onto the ground, not even realizing his forehead was bleeding from the impact.
This was his master!
This was the Emperor he served!
He had trampled the universe itself beneath his feet!
"Oh ho ho ho..."
Frieza looked down at the faces twisted by sheer shock and let out a delighted laugh.
He waved his hand casually.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The four gods were tossed onto the high platform in the center of the square like trash.
"Thanos."
Frieza's voice returned to that elegant, magnetic tone, but to everyone listening, it sounded like a divine decree.
"Your subordinate is here!"
Thanos hastily shuffled forward on his knees to the base of the platform, his posture humble to the extreme.
"Great King, are... are you injured?"
"Injured?"
Frieza raised an eyebrow, glancing at his pristine, black-gold skin.
"By these geriatric cripples?"
"They aren't even fit to give me a pedicure."
Frieza pointed at the four former gods gasping for air on the stage.
"Listen, Thanos."
"The harvest from this business trip was quite good."
"These four, while incompetent fighters, are at least unique in appearance."
"I want you to build something right here, in the center of this plaza."
"Build the universe's largest exhibition hall!"
A gleam of bad taste and malice flickered in Frieza's eyes.
"Lock the four of them in custom-made transparent cages."
"Hang signs on them. Write down their names and their original job titles."
"I want every employee, every slave in this universe to come here and visit!"
"Let them see..."
Frieza leaned in slowly toward Thanos, his voice low and chilling.
"This is the fate of those who defy my will!"
"No matter who they are!"
"Even if they are the rules of the universe!"
Thanos shuddered, the fanaticism in his eyes nearly igniting into flames.
Exhibiting gods like monkeys in a zoo?
What domineering arrogance! What blasphemy!
But this was the glory of the Frieza Force!
"As you command! Great King!"
Thanos roared:
"I will build the strongest, most transparent cages! I guarantee the entire universe will witness your divine might!"
"Very good."
Frieza nodded with satisfaction.
"Also, remember to charge admission."
"I never make a losing trade."
...
After dealing with these trivial matters, Frieza didn't stay long in the plaza.
Hum!
With a flash of light, he deactivated the suffocating Black Form.
He reverted to his small, white, streamlined Final Form.
Although his aura was much more restrained, the oppression stemming from his superior level of existence hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Frieza walked with elegant steps back to his luxurious office on the top floor.
"Phew..."
He sat in his soft executive chair. Natasha (Black Widow) immediately and sensibly served him a glass of chilled red wine.
Frieza took a sip, looking out the window at the busy scene below.
His gaze, however, gradually deepened.
"A Single Universe..."
Frieza muttered to himself, his fingers lightly tapping the desk.
"There are no opponents left here."
He had turned the four great gods into taxidermy exhibits. He had swept away the Celestials like garbage. This MCU-616 Single Universe had effectively become his private property.
If he wanted to, a single thought could reboot this universe.
"However..."
Frieza put down the wine glass. In his crimson eyes, there was no satisfaction—only a flash of even greedier hunger.
"It's not enough."
"It is far from enough."
He knew very well that the Marvel world was far grander than just this single universe.
Outside this universe, there were countless parallel universes.
There was the so-called Multiverse.
There was even the Omniverse that stood above everything!
Although he was strong now, he could feel that against true Multiversal or Omniversal entities... his current power was still a bit thin.
"Black Form is strong."
"But in front of that 'One-Above-All,' I'm afraid I'd just be a slightly stronger ant."
Frieza didn't like being an ant.
If he was going to be anything, he would be the one holding the magnifying glass!
"I must become stronger!"
Frieza clenched his fist, the flames of ambition dancing in his eyes.
"Black Form is just the beginning."
"I recall, in the System..."
Frieza closed his eyes and pulled up the System Interface he hadn't looked at in a long time.
Deep within that long list, a few heart-stopping entries were emitting a tempting glow.
[Diamond Frieza Form] — Unlock Requirement: 100 Sextillion (10^23) Fear Points!
[Infinite · Miracle Frieza Form] — Unlock Requirement: Unknown!
"Diamond..."
Frieza licked his lips.
"Sounds hard. And expensive."
"Once I unlock that form, even if it's the Living Tribunal, I could twist his head off and use it as a soccer ball!"
But...
Relying solely on harvesting Fear Points from this single universe clearly wouldn't meet that astronomical requirement.
"It seems I'll have to pay a little visit to other universes."
Frieza's gaze pierced through the void, as if seeing countless parallel universes waving at him.
Those were countless plots of land waiting to be developed!
Those were countless fields of crops waiting to be harvested!
"Furthermore..."
Frieza pulled the six Infinity Stones out of his pocket.
"Relying just on these rocks is a bit low-class now."
"I hear there are many good things in this Multiverse."
"Like that... what was it called?"
Frieza searched the Marvel knowledge base in his mind.
"The Ultimate Nullifier?"
"I heard that thing can wipe a timeline clean with just a press of a button?"
"And that Heart of the Universe?"
"Rumor has it that it's a super artifact capable of erasing even the OAA."
A smile of extreme greed curled on Frieza's lips.
"Since I am here..."
"Then all these things should change their last name to 'Frieza'."
"I don't care if they have owners or not."
"As long as I want it, it is my asset!"
Frieza stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and spread his arms wide.
As if to embrace the entire Multiverse.
"Tremble, Multiverse."
"Are you ready to welcome your new Landlord?"
"Oh ho ho ho ho..."