The air was thick with an atmosphere called "awkwardness," though, of course, this was only true for Loki.
For Frieza, this was merely an appetizer before the meal.
Watching the green-robed, humiliated "god" raise his scepter, the tip flashing with dangerous blue light aimed straight for his glabella, Frieza didn't even twitch an eyelid.
The feeling was akin to watching an ant armed with a toothpick trying to pierce a tank—nothing but sheer absurdity.
Just as the sharp tip of the scepter was only 0.01 centimeters from Frieza's glabella—
"Hmph."
A soft chuckle, laced with extreme disdain, spunded.
Frieza didn't make any earth-shattering move, he didn't even take his left hand out of his pocket. He simply raised the right hand holding the wine glass, extended a slender index finger, and, as if flicking dust from a collar, gently rested it on the tip of Loki's unstoppable scepter.
Clang!
A crisp sound rang out, like metal striking the hardest diamond.
Loki's originally ferocious expression instantly froze on his face. He felt as if his enraged strike had hit an unshakeable, towering mountain. The massive recoil traveled up the scepter to the web of his hand, leaving his entire arm numb.
"This... How is this possible?!"
Loki's eyes widened, his emerald pupils contracting violently.
This was the Mind Scepter! An artifact granted to him by Thanos! Even Thor wouldn't dare to meet this strike with a bare finger!
However, what followed was even more devastating for him.
"Is this what you call... the power of a god?" Frieza's elegant voice sounded like a devil's whisper in Loki's ear.
The next second, a tiny, marble-sized purple energy ball coalesced at Frieza's fingertip. Although the energy ball was minuscule, the destructive aura it contained made all the hairs on Loki's body stand on end.
"Too fragile."
Crack!
There was no suspense.
The Mind Scepter, a symbol of power, instantly disintegrated upon contact with the purple energy, shattering into countless metallic fragments scattered across the floor.
Amidst the flying fragments, a gem shimmering with a faint yellow light, like an obedient pet, gently dropped into Frieza's palm.
The Mind Stone!
Frieza toyed with the smooth gem in his hand, a satisfied curve forming on his lips.
This is a good piece of work.
One of the Infinity Stones, the ultimate cheat code of the MCU.
He hadn't expected to snag one for free right at the start. With this kind of luck, he could probably win the jackpot every time he bought a lottery ticket.
If he collected all six Infinity stones later, could he snap his fingers for fun? Perhaps transfer all the real estate in the entire universe into his name?
Hmm... that sounds like a very good idea.
In contrast to Frieza's easy composure, Loki on the opposite side was so shocked his jaw nearly hit the floor.
He stared in disbelief at the mortal who still maintained his elegant posture, watching the gem that had once belonged to him resting in the man's hand, his mind utterly blank.
"You... you..."
Loki's mouth opened and closed, like a fish out of water, repeating meaningless syllables.
"How did you do that... Who are you? You are definitely not from Earth!"
How could a mortal crush a scepter with his bare hands? How could a mortal touch an Infinity Stone and remain completely unharmed?
This isn't science! This isn't magic either!
"Who I am is not important. What is important is..."
Frieza casually tucked the Mind Stone into his suit pocket, the motion as nonchalant as if he were pocketing a common glass marble.
He leaned in slightly, his scarlet eyes fixed intensely on Loki. He sneered, "Thanos's Mind Scepter is gone. So what will you do now, my dear... God of Mischief?"
The mention of that familiar name completely shattered Loki's composure.
If exposing his true lineage had only made him angry before, the fact that this person casually named "Thanos" brought him sheer, unadulterated terror.
This mortal knew everything! He knew about the Chitauri, he knew Thanos, and he even knew the origin of the scepter!
What kind of monster was he?!
However, the pride of being a Prince of Asgard and the Nine Realms' foremost sorcerer forbade him from simply admitting defeat.
Even without the scepter, he was still a god.
Although he didn't understand where this blonde monster got the monstrous strength to destroy the scepter, magic was his specialty. He, Loki, still had countless ways to kill a mere mortal like this.
"You have angered me, mortal!"
Loki let out a sharp roar, and his figure instantly blurred.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The next moment, a dozen or more versions of Loki appeared out of thin air throughout the luxurious office.
Some stood on the wreckage of the desk, some leaned against the shattered window, and some stood right behind Frieza.
Every Loki was lifelike, and every Loki stared at Frieza with venomous eyes, a triumphant and arrogant smile plastered across their faces.
"Hahahahaha!"
The dozens of Lokis laughed simultaneously, their voices overlapping and echoing throughout the empty room, creating a dizzying, three-dimensional surround effect.
At the same time, a flash of light appeared in their hands, and two sharp daggers materialized out of nowhere.
"Mortal, are you scared now?"
All the Lokis spoke in unison, their voices coming from every direction, making it impossible to distinguish the real one from the illusions.
"This is the power of a god. A realm that a low-level creature like you can never comprehend."
"Kneel before me. Repent for your ignorance."
Facing a scene that would cause an ordinary person to suffer a mental breakdown, Frieza merely shook his head helplessly and even let out a soft sigh.
He took a sip of red wine, his eyes filled with the kind of affectionate indulgence one reserves for watching a child perform a cheap magic trick.
"As the Prince of Asgard, I have to admit, you do have some ability." Frieza commented lightly.
Hearing this, the smile on Loki's lips widened. He thought this mortal had finally been intimidated by his divine power and was about to beg for mercy.
"Hmph, I don't know who you are or why you know so many of my secrets."
Loki triumphantly brandished his daggers, advancing step by step. "But now that you have witnessed the majesty of a god, hurry up and kneel down. Perhaps if I'm in a good mood, I'll let you keep a whole corpse. Otherwise, I'll slice you into pieces and feed you to the dogs."
However—
Frieza slowly set down his wine glass, a chilling, signature Frieza sneer spreading across his face.
"You misunderstood."
"I meant that while you have some ability..."
Frieza raised a finger and gently shook it. "...it's not much."
"More like the level of a street performer."
Before his words even faded, Frieza's figure instantly vanished from where he stood.
Fast! Too fast!
It was a speed that completely surpassed the limits of human visual perception.
Loki didn't even have time to blink before he felt a terrifying wind pressure rush toward him.
Before his brain could register what had happened, Frieza's wicked face abruptly appeared right in front of him.
It wasn't any of the dozen or so illusions. Instead, with unerring precision—as if he had activated a map hack—Frieza had directly located the real Loki hiding in the farthest corner.
"How..."
Loki's pupils instantly shrank to pinpricks.
Bang!
A dull thud rang out, like a heavy hammer slamming into rotten leather.
Frieza's punch, which was not even delivered with full force, landed squarely on Loki's soft abdomen.
"Ugh—!"
Loki's eyes instantly bulged, and his entire face twisted into a purplish-red color from the extreme agony. He felt as if his internal organs had been instantly churned up, and all the tendons and bones in his body cried out in protest from the unbearable stress.
A mouthful of blood mixed with bile sprayed from his mouth.
Crash—
The dozen or so imposing illusions surrounding them instantly vanished without a trace, like burst soap bubbles.
Loki, curled up painfully, slumped weakly onto the floor. His face was filled with terror, his once exquisite horned helmet lay askew, and he was utterly disheveled.
"Cough... Cough..."
He lay on the floor, breathing weakly, staring at the pair of gleaming leather shoes in front of him, continuously repeating the same phrase. "You... you monster..."
This wasn't a mortal! This was definitely not a mortal!
While the Hulk possessed great strength, it was savage brute force. While Tony had his armor, it was a culmination of technology.
But this person—this pure, overwhelming, despair-inducing power and speed—was like the most terrifying nightmare from the depths of the universe.
Tap.
A foot landed heavily on Loki's head, pressing his face firmly into the glass-strewn carpet.
Frieza looked down condescendingly at the ant beneath his foot, a cruel smile appearing on his lips.
"Next time, remember to show some respect to the Emperor of the Universe, wild child."
Just then, a series of pleasant notification sounds rang out in Frieza's mind.
[Ding! Extreme fear detected in Loki! Fear Points +500!]
[Ding! Fear Points +500!]
[Ding! Fear Points +500!]
...
Watching the constantly fluctuating numbers in the backend, Frieza's mood instantly brightened.
Sure enough, this was the correct way to do things.
However...
He glanced at the "10 billion" Fear points required to unlock his Second Form on the system interface, and the corner of his lips couldn't help but twitch.
Had the system inflated its currency?
How long would it take to keep if he only had Loki? It seemed he would need to create bigger spectacles in the future.
But no matter how little, at least it's something, he should drain this one dry first.