Oh, come on!
Gazing at the scene before him, Frieza almost started drooling.
He had watched Marvel, and he knew this scene was coming.
But still, these were the Infinity Stones!
In the Marvel Universe, they were the pinnacle of cosmic artifacts, tools of ultimate power!
And what was the result?
In this miserable Time Variance Authority (TVA), these precious treasures were being tossed carelessly into desk drawers like ordinary pebbles, or even used by these clerks as paperweights or to prop up wobbly desks?
Such a waste! It's a crime against the universe!
The greed in Frieza's crimson eyes was practically spilling over.
He was fixated on the drawer full of Stones on the desk of the clerk named Casey, his feet rooted to the floor. He couldn't move an inch.
"Is this what they call an 'all-you-can-eat' buffet?" Frieza mused, his mind reeling.
If he could just embed all these things into his battle suit, or maybe make a necklace out of them, wouldn't he, Lord Frieza, be able to strut across the entire Multiverse without a care?
Just as Frieza was lost in this glorious fantasy of the future.
"Hey! Prisoner! What are you staring at!"
Behind him, a Minuteman escort grew impatient.
He looked at the golden-haired man frozen in place, his face displaying that distinct, annoyed expression common to overworked bureaucrats.
Dealing with time criminals every single day had long since made him numb.
"Keep moving! Stop dragging your feet!"
The agent raised the orange control baton he was holding and poked Frieza sharply in the small of the back.
"To the Courtroom! Move it!"
The tone was like that of a rancher driving cattle to slaughter.
Frieza's body stiffened slightly.
That beautiful fantasy shattered instantly, replaced by a surge of white-hot rage that shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
He had only begrudgingly acted out this little surrender charade to sneak in and check out the scenery.
Now?
Since he had already seen the treasure, and these little ants were being so utterly disrespectful...
Why bother acting anymore?
If he kept pretending, Your Emperor would actually look like a clown!
"Hmph..."
A soft, chilling sound escaped Frieza's nose.
He slowly turned around, his eyes, which had looked mostly harmless a moment ago, now a terrifying, blood-red hue.
"Did you just poke me, Your Emperor, with that filthy stick?"
Frieza's voice was quiet, elegant, and even carried a slight, mocking smile.
But the Minuteman heard it and felt an inexplicable shiver run down his spine.
However, his long-standing, unchallenged authority within the TVA instantly made him ignore that dangerous intuition.
"So what if I did?!"
The agent glared, raising the controller in his hand, completely sure of himself.
"You mindless Variant! This is the TVA! Here, magic, superpowers—they are all completely useless!"
"You're wearing a Reset Collar. All I have to do is press this button and I can make you wish you were dead!"
The agent sneered, moving to press the red button, eager to teach this unruly newcomer a lesson.
The other Minutemen and clerks nearby paused their work, watching with amused anticipation. They had seen this scene countless times.
Every arrogant new jerk thinks they're hot stuff, but they always end up crawling on the floor like a dog, begging for mercy, right?
However.
The next second, their smiles froze.
"Magic is useless?"
A cruel smile stretched across Frieza's lips.
"What a truly ignorant collection of frogs in a well."
"Who told you Your Emperor was using magic?"
BOOM!!!
Before the words fully left his mouth, a terrifying surge of energy, so immense it actually warped space, erupted instantly from Frieza's body!
It wasn't magic, nor was it divine power, or even a mutant ability.
It was pure, innate life energy—Ki!
The terrifying biological energy belonging to the Dragon Ball Universe system!
The rules here could nullify the Infinity Stones and magic, but could they stop the fundamental power of the creature itself?
Clearly not!
Snap!
An instant before the agent could press the button.
The so-called Reset Collar, which claimed to control every time criminal, exploded into fragments like a piece of cheap plastic under the surge of Frieza's ballooning neck muscles and overwhelming aura.
"W-what?!"
The agent's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and the remote control clattered to the floor.
How was that possible?!
No one had ever escaped the collar with mere physical strength! It defied science!
But Frieza didn't care about "science."
He felt magnificent.
His body slowly lifted into the air. Even without transforming, the pressure he exerted was so vast and profound that the air in the entire hall grew impossibly heavy.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho..."
"You little ants, I didn't appreciate your condescending attitude just now."
Frieza looked down at the panic-stricken Minutemen below, his face enjoying the moment completely.
"Now, let's play a game."
"Let's see whose is faster: your little Pruning Sticks, or Your Emperor's Death Beam?"
[Ding! Extreme fear detected in TVA employee! Fear Value +100!]
[Ding! Fear Value +100!]
[Ding! Fear Value +100!]
The system notifications sounded like beautiful music, only fueling Frieza's excitement.
"Quick! Prune him! Prune him now!"
The Minuteman finally reacted, shrieking as he snatched up his baton and charged forward with the other agents.
But...
Compared to Frieza, whose power level was easily over 530,000, their movements were agonizingly slow.
Whoosh!
A purple aura instantly enveloped Frieza's entire body.
The menacing Pruning Sticks struck his energy barrier without causing even a ripple, simply bouncing off harmlessly.
"Too weak. You are all too weak!"
Frieza shook his head in disappointment.
"Since you're all in such a hurry to die..."
He slowly raised his right hand, extending his index finger, where a blinding purple-red light began to concentrate at the tip.
"Then I will oblige you!"
Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew—!
The Death Beams rained down like a sudden storm!
There was no suspense; it was a one-sided slaughter.
Every single beam accurately pierced the forehead or heart of a Minuteman.
The agents in their black armor dropped like wheat under a scythe.
Screams and energy blasts instantly filled the grand hall.
The once orderly TVA was instantly transformed into a living hell.
In just a few seconds, the entire squad of agents who had been so aggressive moments before were now corpses littering the floor.
Only the agent who had initially yelled at Frieza remained, sprawled on the floor, trembling uncontrollably, a foul stench of urine rising from his pants.
Frieza landed gracefully in front of him, not a single drop of blood staining his dress shoes.
"P-please... mercy..." the agent whimpered, crying.
Frieza didn't kill him immediately. Instead, he reached out and snatched a smartphone-like device from the agent's belt.
A Time Controller.
Now this was a useful tool. With this thing, he could traverse timelines at will.
"Tell me, how does this thing work?"
Frieza toyed with the device.
"If you teach me, Your Emperor might be in a good enough mood to let you live."
"I'll teach you! I'll teach you!"
The agent seized the opportunity, demonstrating the operational process while trembling, terrified of being obliterated if he slowed down for a second.
Frieza listened intently; after all, he was a studious Galactic Emperor.
A few minutes later.
"I see. That was quite simple."
Frieza nodded, satisfied, and tucked the Time Controller into his suit pocket.
"C-can I go now?" the agent asked cautiously, his eyes full of hope.
"Of course."
Frieza smiled and nodded.
The agent was overjoyed, scrambling to his feet and stumbling away.
However.
He had barely taken two steps.
Shing!
A purple beam instantly pierced his back, exiting through his chest.
The agent stiffly turned his head, staring at Frieza in disbelief.
"You... you said..."
"Oh dear, my apologies."
Frieza blew lightly on his fingertip, a look of playful malice on his face.
"I seem to have forgotten to tell you that Your Emperor..."
"Hates keeping my promises."
"Remember not to trust the villain in your next life, oh-ho-ho-ho..."
Having dealt with the annoying fly, Frieza finally turned his attention to the desks.
From the open drawers, a captivating light was emanating.
The glow of the Infinity Stones!
"They're all mine!"
Frieza waved his hand, and a gust of Ki energy swept forward.
Clatter!
Dozens of Infinity Stones of various colors flew toward him like scattered candy.
Red, blue, purple, green...
Out in the universe, any one of these would cause a galactic war.
But here, Frieza was gathering them like he was shopping at a discount store, shoving handfuls of the precious gems into his suit pockets.
"This Space Stone looks good, nice color."
"Ooh, a Power Stone? That's mine!"
"Soul Stone? I suppose I'll keep this trash, too, just in case."
In no time, his expensive, perfectly tailored suit pockets were bulging.
But Frieza didn't care about his appearance.
Nothing was more important than his own amusement!
Just then, a sound echoed from the distance.
Clomp! Clomp! Clomp!
A flurry of footsteps approached.
Clearly, the commotion had alerted the main TVA forces.
Hundreds of fully armed Minutemen were rushing toward him from all directions, weapons raised.
"You damned Variant! Hands up!"
Frieza patted his overflowing pockets, a cold smile curling his lips as he looked at the foolish group.
"What bothersome flies."
"I was going to just take my things and leave, but since you're so eager to rush here and die..."
Frieza's body slowly ascended, his aura surging wildly, causing the entire hall to tremble under the immense power.
"Then I will oblige you all!"
"Perfect. I also wanted to have a word with the so-called 'Time Keepers.' We need to settle the score for destroying my assets!"
"Today, Your Emperor is going to tear this dump apart!"
"Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!!!"