Without his hammer, Thor still had his fists! He still had the divine strength of an Asgardian!
CRASH!
Thor charged towards Frieza like a mad bull with an unstoppable fury. Each step he took made the rooftop tremble.
He swung his massive, ham-sized fist with all his might, aiming to smash Frieza's head.
However, facing this enraged strike, Frieza merely raised a single, casual finger.
Yes, just one index finger.
BAM!
Thor's full-force punch landed solidly on that one finger.
The result was astonishing.
The finger did not budge, easily stopping Thor's charge as if it were an unmoving, colossal mountain.
"Too slow. Too weak." Frieza shook his head, his eyes full of disappointment.
"Is this what they call the God of Thunder? Without your hammer, all you can do is flail your arms around?"
"Get lost!"
Before Thor could reply, Frieza flicked his finger lightly.
BONG!
It was like flicking away an annoying fly.
A terrifying shockwave instantly erupted, slamming into Thor's chest.
"Pfft!"
Thor felt as though he had been hit by a high-speed locomotive. He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward at an even greater speed than he came.
BOOM!
He crashed violently into the wall behind him, becoming completely embedded in the concrete, unable to pull himself free.
"Thor!" Captain America and Tony were horrified.
Thor struggled out of the wall, wiped the blood from his mouth, and stood up shakily. Along with his anger, a hint of deep-seated fear finally crept into his eyes.
Utter domination.
This was a complete and total crushing of power.
"Don't look at me like that." Frieza elegantly withdrew his finger, his face still wearing that smile that was both charming and infuriating. "Actually, your abilities aren't bad."
"Though, compared to me, Frieza, the Emperor of the Universe, the gap is like a firefly next to the sun."
"But that's irrelevant."
Frieza sized up the battered Thor like a customer inspecting merchandise. He nodded. "You have a solid physique, very durable. I think you're qualified to join my Force. You'd make an excellent human shield, perhaps."
This was humiliation! Stark-naked humiliation!
Before Thor could speak, Tony Stark beside him couldn't take it anymore.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Tony's faceplate retracted, and his repulsor palms glowed brightly. "Join your Force? Work for you? Do you even pay a salary? Do you offer benefits?"
"We are the Avengers! We will never bow down to a villain like you! And we certainly won't join some damn Force!"
Tony's voice was resolute. "Avengers, Assemble! Let's hit him together! I refuse to believe he's truly invincible!"
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Tony's shoulder-mounted micro-missiles instantly launched, streaking toward Frieza.
Captain America forcefully hurled his Vibranium shield, making a strange arc through the air.
Black Widow opened fire with both guns, and Hawkeye released a special explosive arrow.
"Hulk! Smash him!"
"ROAR—!"
The Hulk, who had been charging up energy nearby, finally let loose a savage roar. His massive green body leaped high, clasping his hands together and bringing them down on Frieza's head with colossal force.
Facing the overwhelming assault, the smile on Frieza's face didn't fade; instead, it grew even brighter.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho... That's more like it. It's only slightly entertaining when you all come at once."
He maintained his elegant posture, not even moving his feet.
He only moved his right hand, which became a blur.
Clink! Clink! Clink! Boom! Boom!
The missiles, bullets, and arrows, the moment they approached him, seemed to hit an invisible wall.
No, not a wall.
His finger!
His finger moved with extreme speed, precisely detonating every missile in the air and flicking away every bullet.
The Vibranium shield flew right up to him, and he simply hooked it with a single finger, sending it spinning back—it nearly took Captain America's head off.
"Too slow, too slow, still too slow."
Frieza commented as he effortlessly dealt with the combined attacks, looking as relaxed as if he were strolling through his own garden.
"RARRGH!" The Hulk finally reached him, his massive fists descending with a powerful gust of wind.
"Big guy, you're too loud."
Frieza didn't even look up, extending a finger to meet the Hulk's fist.
The green fist, capable of smashing tanks, instantly stopped.
Then, Frieza lightly flexed and flicked his finger.
DONG!
The Hulk's enormous body was sent flying like a green rubber ball, crashing through two floors and disappearing into the distance.
Immediately after, Frieza's figure zipped through the group of heroes.
No one could see his movements.
They only heard the continuous sounds of a finger snapping against a skull.
BOP! BOP! BOP!
"Ah!" Tony cried out, his armor malfunctioning as he was knocked backward.
"Ugh!" Captain America grunted, sent rolling several times on the ground.
Black Widow and Hawkeye were utterly helpless, knocked unconscious in a corner.
In less than ten seconds, the battle was over.
The so-called Avengers, the Earth's mightiest heroes, now lay scattered on the ground, their groans echoing across the rooftop.
Despair.
An unprecedented level of hopelessness settled over every heart.
They had faced powerful enemies before, but never one like this—an opponent that crushed all will to resist.
This was not a fight on the same level.
Frieza clapped his hands, as if he had just finished a trivial task.
He walked over to Tony, who was still struggling to get up, and looked down at them all, his smile still warm yet bone-chilling.
"Look at you all. How pitiful."
"My offer is still on the table, you know."
Frieza wiggled a finger in front of them.
"Now is the best time to join my Force. After all, those who join now will be the founding members."
"Although your combat power... tsk tsk, if you'll excuse my bluntness, it's probably less than 1,000. In the universe, that's just cannon fodder level."
The Avengers looked bewildered. Combat power 1,000? What unit of measurement was that?
"However, this King values loyalty."
Frieza spread his hands like a generous philanthropist.
"Those who join now are founding members! Do you understand what that means? Even if you're as weak as baby chicks, as long as you're the first wave of employees, King Frieza will treat you well! Comprehensive benefits, universal health insurance, year-end bonuses, and maybe I'll even give each of you a planet to be Governor of someday!"
The sales pitch was grand and extravagant.
"Cough, cough..." Black Widow clutched her chest, struggling to look up, her beautiful eyes still burning with defiance. "Dream on... We'd rather die than join... such an evil organization..."
"Evil?"
Frieza didn't get angry at the word. Instead, he looked as if he had just received the highest possible praise.
His eyes lit up, and he nodded excitedly.
"Well said! I love that word!"
"If I'm not evil enough, how can I be the Emperor of the Universe? If I'm not evil enough, how can I rule over those troublesome citizens?"
After speaking, Frieza ignored the defeated heroes.
His body slowly began to float upward, rising higher and higher until he could look down on the entire top of Stark Tower, all of Manhattan, and even the whole world.
He spread his arms wide, his blonde hair whipping in the wind, his cape flapping loudly.
At that moment, the aura of terror surrounding him was released without reservation, the terrifying pressure making the air for miles around feel heavy.
He looked down, and with an undeniable, commanding, and absolute tone, he addressed the defeated Avengers at his feet, the cameras of the surrounding media helicopters, and every human watching the live broadcast across the globe. He spoke slowly:
"Whether you want to join my Force or not, it no longer matters."
"What is important is that I have an announcement to make."
Frieza's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly carried to every corner, drilling into every person's ears.
"Starting today, this planet, Earth... is my personal property!"
"Every inch of this land, every city, and even every single one of your lives, belongs to me!"
A look of extreme confidence and utter arrogance curved his lips.
"Remember this, Earthlings."
"From now on, this planet... belongs to FREIZA!!*"