"I'm not playing."
Steve Rogers' voice was hard, just like the Vibranium shield in his hand.
Though bruised and battered, and only moments ago having been flicked away like a marble, the World War II veteran still stood tall, his gaze fixed on Frieza hovering in the air.
"We're the Avengers, not your playthings," Tony Stark spat out a bloody mouthful, his eyes under the faceplate defiant. "You want the Earth? You'll have to cross my dead body. And by the way, your taste is terrible; that purple orb looks like a cheap disco light show."
"Oh?"
The purple energy sphere, pregnant with destructive power, flickered slightly on Frieza's fingertip.
He wasn't angry; instead, he wore a look of mild resignation, like a master seeing a naughty pet.
"What a pity."
"I thought that by offering you a gift called 'hope,' I could make this acquisition a bit more interesting."
Frieza shook his head regretfully, his appearance so profoundly sorrowful, as if he were the benevolent one being wronged.
"But since you refuse to accept my kindness..."
Just as Frieza prepared to casually toss the orb and turn Manhattan into a giant artificial lake.
"Wait!"
A deep, commanding, yet slightly urgent voice came from the entrance of the rooftop.
A black trench coat flapped in the strong wind, and a bald black head stubbornly reflected the sunlight. The single remaining eye was locked onto Frieza in the sky.
The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the King of Spies, Nick Fury, had finally arrived.
He had just been watching Frieza's arrogant "Earth belongs to Frieza" declaration on the carrier's main screen, and the blood pressure surge almost blew out his remaining optic nerve.
Where did this guy even come from?
He not only wiped out the Chitauri fleet but now wants to casually take over the Earth?
This was ten thousand times more trouble than Loki!
"Mr. Frieza..."
Nick Fury forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, adopting the posture of a master negotiator, and strode to the center of the ruins.
"I know you are powerful—ridiculously powerful."
"However, this world is not as simple as you think. Earth is not something you can swallow with your current appetite."
Fury spoke at the fastest speed of his life, trying to establish a verbal line of defense:
"There are many forces in this universe that maintain peace. There are certain entities that, once provoked, have consequences even you cannot bear."
As he spoke, Fury deliberately touched the old-fashioned pager tucked into his coat.
That was his ace in the hole, his absolute last resort for calling in help when all hope was lost.
He was hinting, or rather, making it perfectly clear: Earth has backup!
Hearing this, Frieza, suspended in the air, raised an eyebrow slightly.
He slowly descended until he was eye-level with Fury, a playful amusement glinting in his crimson eyes.
"Oh ho ho ho..."
"Let me guess what you're trying to say..." Frieza pressed a finger to his chin, pretending to think. "Is it that woman who runs all over the universe, who likes to make herself look like a giant photon lightbulb?"
"Captain Marvel? Carol Danvers?"
Nick Fury's already dark face instantly grew darker, his pupil severely constricted.
How could this guy possibly know that?!
This was top-secret! No one but him knew who that final contingency plan was!
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, looks like I guessed right." Frieza looked at Fury's expression and smiled even wider. "What's this? This is your reliance? This is your bargaining chip against me?"
"I admit, she's quite strong."
Frieza held up his pinky finger, indicating a minute distance.
"But only 'quite' strong."
"If she was in her Binary form, perhaps she could make me break a sweat. As for now? Calling her back will only add one slightly higher-grade collectible to my inventory."
Arrogant!
Absolutely, utterly arrogant!
Nick Fury's heart sank. Since negotiations had failed and the deterrent was ineffective, there was only Plan B left.
"Now!"
Fury suddenly roared.
At Nick Fury's command, Hawkeye and Black Widow, who had been pretending to be incapacitated, suddenly sprang into action!
They had received Fury's secret communication and had been playing possum, waiting for the perfect moment.
Even in this desperate situation, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents maintained peak tactical training.
If physical force wouldn't work, they'd try chemical and biological warfare!
Shu! Shu! Shu!
Several specialized tranquilizer darts and high-voltage shock arrows were fired in a triangular pattern, aiming for Frieza's blind spots.
This was a super-strength sedative S.H.I.E.L.D. had developed for the Hulk—it could put an elephant to sleep instantly.
However.
Frieza didn't even turn his head against the surprise attack.
He simply raised his right hand and lightly pinched his index finger and thumb together in the air, as if catching a few sluggish mosquitoes.
Plink.
Every arrow and dart was caught between his fingers.
"Too slow. You expect to wound the Cosmic Emperor with a child's toy like this?"
Frieza shook his head, his eyes full of disappointment. "Not even my Ginyu Force... oh no, not even my Captain Loki would use such a low-grade tactic."
Loki, who was playing dead on the ground, twitched involuntarily at the unexpected mention.
"Do you have any new tricks, Director 'Black Licorice'?" Frieza casually crushed the darts into powder and brushed his hands together.
From the distant helicopter, the reporter Christine was passionately commentating:
"Viewers! Negotiations have broken down! S.H.I.E.L.D. has launched an attack, but it seems completely ineffective! This golden-haired devil is impossibly powerful! Is this truly the end for Earth?!"
Just then.
Nick Fury suddenly pulled a bizarre silver pistol from his coat.
It was a prototype S.H.I.E.L.D. had developed based on Destroyer remnants and Tesseract energy—a high-frequency neural inhibitor ray gun.
"Go to sleep, you monster!"
ZZZT—!
A faint blue ripple, almost invisible to the naked eye, instantly struck Frieza's chest.
This time, Frieza didn't dodge.
Or rather, he seemed unable to react in time.
The moment he was hit, Frieza immediately stiffened. His elegant posture instantly collapsed, his eyes rolled back, and his limbs began to shake violently.
"Ugh... Ah..."
Frieza let out a painful groan, his body wobbled as if he had lost control, about to fall over.
"He hit him!"
Hawkeye pumped his fist in excitement.
"Now! Hulk! Thor! Pin him down!" Nick Fury was overjoyed—he couldn't believe the device actually worked!
Even Loki, who had been lying perfectly still, had a flicker of hope in his eyes.
Was this terrifying monster finally going down?
If so, maybe Loki could stage a comeback, reclaim his scepter, and rule after all!
Loki's hand crept toward a hidden dagger behind him, ready to give his so-called master a taste of cold steel.
Christine, in the helicopter, was so excited she almost swallowed the microphone: "Incredible! Director Nick Fury saves the day! He's subdued the demon! Humanity is saved!"
However.
Just as the Avengers prepared to swarm Frieza and shackle him.
The "violently twitching" Frieza suddenly stopped.
It was like hitting a pause button.
He slowly straightened up, adjusting the tie that had become slightly askew from the 'convulsions.'
The look of pain instantly vanished, replaced by an even more mocking, more disdainful smile.
"Oops, did I overact a little?"
Frieza patted the spot on his chest where the ray had struck, a look of contemplation on his face.
"I have to say, that felt tingly and actually quite pleasant."
"It's like getting a full-body electrical spa. Is this what you Earthlings call hospitality? If so, I might give you a five-star review."
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Nick Fury's gun-wielding hand froze in mid-air, the light in his solitary eye extinguished, replaced by endless despair.
He was faking it?
This guy was playing games with them?!
Not even the neural toxin and high-frequency oscillation worked?! What kind of creature was this?!
The dagger Loki had just snuck out clattered to the floor, and he seamlessly flopped back down, burying his head even lower.
Can't see me, can't see me...
"Alright, playtime is over."
The smile on Frieza's face abruptly disappeared, replaced by an icy glare.
"I gave you a chance, even mercy."
"But you chose to repay a great Cosmic Emperor with cheap tricks and betrayal."
BOOM!
A terrifying energy blast erupted from Frieza's center.
Cap, Thor, and even the massive Hulk, who had just rushed forward, were sent flying like leaves in a hurricane, slamming hard into the surrounding walls, their condition unknown.
Frieza took elegant steps, walking slowly toward the completely paralyzed Nick Fury.
"Especially you, you one-eyed Black Licorice."
Frieza's voice was like judgment from the deepest pits of Hell.
"I originally planned to take someone as scheming as you and use you as a steward—after all, managing a planet requires a dirty glove like you."
"However..."
Frieza extended his finger, and the terrifying purple light condensed at the tip.
"I absolutely hate it when people shoot at me."
"And I detest business partners who don't follow the rules."
The shadow of death fell upon Nick Fury.
The King of Spies was finally panicked. He knew he had truly messed up this time.
His trembling hand shot into his coat and pressed the pager he had hoped never to use.
Beep, beep, beep...
Signal sent!
"Looks like you called the photon lightbulb after all."
Frieza glanced at the flashing pager but didn't stop the transmission.
"Very well. Let her come collect your corpse."
Shu!
A single purple Death Beam instantly pierced Nick Fury's chest.
Fast.
It was too fast.
There were no useless words, no hesitation.
Nick Fury didn't even have time for a final word. His body fell straight down, his hand still tightly clutching the transmitting pager.
The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the architect of the Avengers, died like a disposable grunt on the roof of Stark Tower.
"FURY!!!"
Cap and Natasha, who had just managed to stand up, roared in anguish at the sight.
That was their comrade, their leader!
Fear, anger, and despair mixed together in a bitter cocktail.
And the global audience watching the live broadcast fell into a deadly silence.
They had just witnessed the death of their highest official.
This meant the collapse of order.
"What's wrong? Feeling heartbroken?"
Frieza blew on his fingertip, which contained no actual smoke, and turned to face the Avengers whose eyes looked ready to eat him alive.
"This is the tragedy of the weak."
"Since you have such integrity, since you still feel I'm not strong enough, not terrifying enough to earn your fear..."
Frieza slowly floated up, rising even higher than Stark Tower.
He raised his right hand, and the energy ball on his fingertip, which was originally the size of a marble, began to swell uncontrollably.
Basketball size...
Millstone size...
Finally, it became a gigantic purple energy bomb several yards in diameter, hanging over Manhattan like a violet sun!
The terrifying energy fluctuations warped the surrounding space, and even the clouds in the sky were forcibly ripped apart by the power.
"Then let me show you what real power is."
"What the... Rage of the Cosmic Emperor is!"
Frieza curved his lips into a cruel smirk and suddenly waved his hand.
"Go! Planet Splitter!"
He didn't throw the energy bomb toward the city because that was his asset.
Instead, he pointed his finger west, toward the vast heartland of the American continent.
KABOOM—!!!
A massive, thick purple light beam, like God's apocalyptic whip, shot out from above Manhattan!
It didn't explode; instead, it cut through the Earth like a hot knife through butter, deeply gouging the land!
In that moment, the Earth trembled.
The camera view instantly pulled back tens of thousands of miles into space.
Inside the International Space Station, several astronauts on duty were looking down at Earth through the viewport.
Suddenly, one of the astronauts' eyes went wide, his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg, and his bag of coffee floated away.
"Oh my God... what is that..."
Across the surface of the beautiful blue planet, a gigantic fissure, glowing with a spooky purple light, stretched from New York on the East Coast all the way to California on the West Coast.
It was a hideous, terrifying scar slicing across the entire North American continent!
Mountains were leveled, rivers were cut off, and forests were vaporized.
It was the genuine article... giving the Earth a center part.