"You monster... go to hell!!"
Carol Danvers' eyes glowed with blinding golden light, burning with a rage hot enough to incinerate a galaxy.
She wasted no words. Fists clenched, her photon energy instantly surged to its absolute limit.
She was like an ignited supernova, dragging a long, golden tail of fire as she launched herself straight at Frieza, who was hovering high in the sky.
BOOM—!
The air itself was shattered by her terrifying speed, whipping up visible rings of sonic booms.
Yet, facing this earth-shattering strike, Frieza didn't even bat an eyelid.
He maintained his posture—arms crossed over his chest, watching the show with elegance. He even let out a bored yawn.
"Oh my, what a rude lady."
Just as Carol was about to slam into Frieza...
"Don't you dare harm Lord Frieza!!"
A rough, savage roar exploded from the side.
Sandman, Flint Marko, who had been standing by on standby, now had a look of frantic opportunism in his eyes.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance!
If he could block this attack in front of the Galactic Emperor, his status in the Legion would skyrocket, wouldn't it? He might even snag a position as a Planetary Governor!
"Stop right there!!"
WHOOSH!
Ideally, sky-high waves of yellow sand surged upward, condensing in mid-air into a colossal hand that blotted out the sun. Like the hand of a titan, it swatted viciously toward Carol!
Sandman had mobilized almost every grain of sand from New York's sewers and construction sites.
"Gotcha!"
The giant sand hand clamped shut instantly, tightly encasing the golden figure within its palm.
A look of wild ecstasy appeared on Sandman's face. He turned his head toward Frieza, his expression screaming for praise:
"My Lord! I caught her! This woman isn't anything spec—"
However.
He didn't get to finish his sentence.
Inside that massive sand hand, a light so piercing it was impossible to look at suddenly flared up.
It was a light hotter than the sun, more scorching than magma!
"What?!" The smile on Sandman's face froze instantly.
The next second.
SIZZLE—!
The loose, flowing sand instantly melted and solidified under the terrifying heat.
In the blink of an eye.
The giant sand hand had turned into a massive, crystal-clear, steaming sculpture of glass!
Vitrification!
Immediately after—
CRACK!!!
A crisp shattering sound echoed.
The giant glass palm exploded into countless fragments, like a shower of diamonds, refracting tragic, beautiful light under the sun.
And from amidst that sky-full of dancing glass shards...
Carol Danvers charged out completely unharmed, bathed in golden flames like a descending Valkyrie.
She didn't even spare a glance at Sandman on the ground. She simply waved her hand, firing a casual photon blast.
BOOM!
Sandman's main body on the ground didn't even have time to scream.
He was instantly vaporized by the terrifying high-temperature energy, reduced to a pile of twisted, glazed slag on the pavement.
This scene instantly ignited a spark of hope in the eyes of Captain America, Tony Stark, and the others who had been watching in despair.
"She's too strong! That's Captain Marvel!"
"That energy intensity... she's practically a mobile star!" Tony stared at his data panel, his hands shaking with excitement.
A difficult opponent like Sandman couldn't even last a second against Captain Marvel!
Having swatted the fly, Carol's speed didn't decrease; it increased.
With an unstoppable momentum, she arrived instantly in front of Frieza.
"Now, it's your turn!"
Carol roared, photon energy converging on her right fist as she smashed it toward Frieza's loathsome, smiling face.
However.
Facing this iron fist that even Thanos would dread...
Frieza simply tilted his body slightly to the side.
SWISH!
The fist, wrapped in terrifying energy, grazed past the tip of his nose.
The intense wind pressure merely ruffled a lock of hair on his forehead.
"Oh my, my..."
Frieza drifted backward a short distance.
Looking at the glowing superwoman before him, he wore a look of disappointment, like an art connoisseur evaluating a cheap forgery.
"As expected of the 'Captain Marvel' that one-eyed director held as his trump card."
"As the top combatant of this planet, I must admit, you do have something to offer."
Frieza extended a finger and lightly flicked a speck of dust from his collar.
"That energy capable of generating instant high heat... it would be excellent for a barbecue, or perhaps for central heating in the winter."
Hearing this utterly humiliating assessment, Carol felt like her lungs were going to explode.
"Shut up! You demon!"
"I admit, you're good with your mouth."
Carol stared at him coldly.
"Let's hope your bones are as hard as your words!"
"Oh?"
Frieza raised an eyebrow, a playful glint flashing in his scarlet eyes. He lowered his hand, his gaze instantly turning pitying and arrogant.
"Ma'am, while I hate to crush your confidence..."
"Frankly speaking..."
"Based on the meager power you've displayed so far, I question whether your Power Level has even breached 300."
"Whereas I..."
Frieza slowly spread his arms, his suit jacket fluttering without wind.
A terrifying aura, one that made the entire atmosphere tremble, slowly released from his body.
"My Power Level in this base form is a full 530,000!"
"You wish to challenge a Galactic Emperor with strength that wouldn't even be enough to tickle an infant?"
"Are you sure your brain hasn't been fried by all that photon energy?"
"Hmph! Big talk!"
Carol had no idea what these 'Power Level' numbers meant.
In her experience, she roamed the universe unchecked and had never met her match. Even Ronan the Accuser of the Kree Empire had to detour when he saw her!
This pretty boy in front of her, who only knew how to posture, was definitely just trying to shake her confidence with words!
"I don't care about your numbers. Today, you die!"
BOOM!
Carol stopped talking. Her body instantly entered Binary Mode, transforming her entire being into a blinding sphere of light.
She stepped on the void, her figure moving like electricity, closing the distance instantly.
"Photon Impact!"
Carol roared.
A punch gathering all her strength, carrying enough force to shatter an asteroid, blasted toward Frieza's heart!
This punch was fast to the extreme! Ruthless to the extreme!
The Avengers on the ground held their breath, staring fixedly at the sky.
It has to hit!
However.
Facing this earth-shattering punch...
The corner of Frieza's mouth curled into a smile that was cold enough to freeze bone.
"Since you are in such a hurry to die..."
"Then don't blame me for forgetting my manners."
SLASH!
The instant Carol's fist was about to touch Frieza's chest...
Frieza moved.
His right hand rose like a flash of purple lightning, fingers pressed together into a blade.
It was covered in a thin layer of purple aura, sharp enough to slice through space itself.
A variation of the Destructo Disc technique—the Hand Blade!
No flashy movements.
Just a simple, clean swipe.
Like slicing through a block of soft tofu.
SPLAT!
The sickening sound of bone and flesh separating rang out abruptly in mid-air.