"Hahaha! Too weak! Way too weak!"
Apocalypse—En Sabah Nur—was drenched head to toe in the blue blood of Kree soldiers.
That "power" granted by the great King Frieza coursed through him, giving every casual swing of his arm the strength to shatter mountains.
BOOM!
With a lazy flick of his hand, dozens of Kree Accusers clutching high-energy war hammers exploded mid-air into clouds of red mist, armor and all.
"Is this the King's power? It's downright addictive!"
Loki darted across the battlefield like a shadow, his energy blades flashing. Every slash claimed the life of a high-ranking Kree officer. He even had time to strike a dramatic Ginyu Force pose for the terrified, fleeing Kree civilians.
"Tremble, mortals!"
"Before the mighty Frieza Force, your only option is to kneel!"
In less than half an hour, the Supreme Intelligence's grand hall—the very symbol of Kree imperial authority—lay in ruins.
That massive green head, the Supreme Intelligence itself, was now pinned to the wall by countless steel spikes courtesy of Magneto, sparking and fizzing as its systems crashed for good.
"My King!"
Apocalypse wiped the blood from his face and dropped to one knee toward the hovering golden pod in the sky, his voice booming.
"The entire Kree Empire has been subdued!"
"All resistance has been eliminated. The rest have surrendered!"
"Please descend, my King, and claim your new prize!"
High above, Frieza lounged in his golden hover-pod, frowning down at the battered, crater-filled city below.
"Tch."
"Efficient enough, I guess, but could you guys try not to trash the place while you're at it?"
Frieza's eyes lingered sadly on the half-collapsed palace.
"That was prime Kree crystal. Even if we scrapped it, it'd fetch a fortune."
"Bunch of wrecking balls."
Still grumbling, he guided the pod down for a smooth landing.
After all, this was one of the big three galactic empires. Taking it meant controlling half the universe's military might.
"All hail the King!"
Thousands of Frieza Force soldiers—and the Kree forced to their knees—roared in unison. The sound shook the sky.
Frieza floated out of the pod and strolled up to the Supreme Intelligence.
He looked at the giant bio-computer that had manipulated countless civilizations.
"Well, well, Mr. Big Brain."
Frieza tapped the glass dome with a finger.
"They say you're pretty smart, huh?"
"But in the face of absolute power, all your little schemes don't amount to a hill of beans."
The Intelligence's electronic eyes flickered twice, then went dark forever.
It had calculated everything—except the sudden appearance of an unreasonable, overpowered monster.
"Starting today," Frieza announced, turning to face the crowd, his crimson eyes sweeping over every corner, "the Kree Empire is hereby renamed Frieza Planet 004."
"All warships, technology, and resources now belong to the Force."
"As for you blue-skinned folks…"
A mocking grin curled his lips.
"Since you love fighting so much, you're all drafted into the vanguard suicide squads."
"Perfect. My universal conquest could use a lot more cannon fodder."
After wrapping up the formalities, Frieza didn't head off to rest. Instead, he turned his attention to Apocalypse, Loki, Magneto, and the others standing at the front.
They were useful enough for now, but in Frieza's eyes, still pathetically weak.
It took them half an hour just to crush the Kree. What would happen when they ran into the Celestials or that pompous Living Tribunal? They wouldn't even qualify as speed bumps.
Even Thanos, decent as he was, still wasn't enough.
So Frieza opened a portal and yanked Thanos straight from Asgard.
"Thanos, Apocalypse, Loki, Erik… and you, Shaw."
He beckoned with one finger.
"Get over here."
Confused but obedient, the five immediately gathered around.
"What is your command, my King?" Thanos asked in his deep voice.
"Your performance was… acceptable. Barely."
Frieza clasped his hands behind his back, tone casual.
"But this universe is huge."
"Besides these tech-obsessed weaklings, there are beings out there you can't even imagine."
"Like the Celestials who juggle planets for fun, or those self-important cosmic gods."
"With the power you've got now, they'd squash you like bugs."
"I'm not in the habit of saving useless underlings every time things get rough."
"So…"
Frieza slowly raised his right hand.
In his palm, a denser, more massive sphere of purple energy than ever before began to swirl wildly.
The sheer pressure cracked the air around it.
"Consider this your year-end bonus."
"Open wide and take it!"
WHOOSH—!!!
Five thick streams of purple light shot out like liquid energy, slamming instantly into Thanos and the others.
BOOM!!!!!
The explosion was bigger than any before it. The entire surface of Hala quaked.
The five felt a terrifying surge of power ripping through every cell, threatening to tear them apart from the inside.
"RRRAAAAAAGH!!!!!"
They roared to the heavens in unison.
Their auras skyrocketed—like rockets blasting off.
Ten thousand… fifty thousand… a hundred thousand… two hundred thousand!
Finally stabilizing at a number that would make most beings in the universe despair.
Combat power: 200,000!
That's Dragon Ball-scale 200,000!
In Marvel movie terms, each of them had just stepped over the threshold into single-universe-level threat territory.
Any one of them could now shatter planets with their bare hands and tank a star going supernova.
"This… this is true power…"
Thanos clenched his fist, feeling energy that could rip through dimensions, his whole body trembling with excitement.
He knew that even without the Infinity Gauntlet, the old him wouldn't last a second against the new him.
"Thank you, my King!!!"
The five dropped to their knees in perfect sync, foreheads cracking the floor.
"Enough with the head-banging. Marble's expensive."
Frieza waved them off in annoyance.
"You got the goods, now you work for me."
He pointed up at the endless starry sky.
"The Milky Way's too small. I've got a big appetite."
"I want each of you to take a fleet."
"Split into five directions and conquer everything in your path."
"Skrull Empire, Shi'ar Empire, even the unclaimed sectors…"
"Anywhere with resources or life—plant the Frieza Force flag."
"You've got three months."
"I want every corner of this universe singing the praises of the Frieza Force!"
"Understood?!"
"Yes, my King!!!"
Fire burned in their eyes—the mad fervor of conquerors about to take it all.
Watching his lieutenants march off to get the job done, Frieza nodded, satisfied.
"Good. The grunt work's handled."
"Now then…"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out four Infinity Stones.
Blue Space, yellow Mind, purple Power, green Time.
They glowed brilliantly in his hand.
"Two to go."
His gaze grew distant.
"The Reality Stone's hidden pretty well, but no rush."
"The other one, though…"
He thought of that mysterious planet on the edge of the universe—Vormir.
And the most enigmatic, creepy stone of them all: the Soul Stone.
"A soul for a soul, huh?"
Frieza smirked.
"What a tired little trick."
"But rules are rules."
"And if it demands sacrificing someone you love…"
Frieza didn't have a loved one.
Or rather, the only thing he loved was himself.
He wasn't about to sacrifice himself. That'd be ridiculous.
But someone else did have a loved one.
"Thanos!"
Frieza called out to the Titan just as he was leaving.
"My King?" Thanos stopped and turned respectfully.
"Hold off on the war for a bit."
Frieza walked up and clapped a hand on Thanos's broad shoulder.
"I've got a special job for you."
"A special job?" Thanos asked, puzzled.
"That's right."
Frieza's smile turned sly.
"Go grab that green-skinned adopted daughter of yours… what's her name—Gamora?"
"Bring her to me."
At the mention of Gamora, Thanos froze for a split second.
She was the daughter he loved most—twisted as that love might be.
"My King… what do you need her for?" he asked cautiously.
"Don't ask questions you don't need answers to."
Frieza's expression darkened, and a wave of terrifying pressure pinned Thanos in place.
"Bring her, and come with me."
He turned toward the distant coordinates in the stars.
"We're going somewhere with a great view."
"Vormir."
"There's a pretty little orange stone there I want to turn into a pendant."
"And your daughter's the key."