Faced with Frieza's provocative declaration, Ravonna's face instantly darkened.
In her long career enforcing laws at the Time Variance Authority, she had encountered countless arrogant variants.
There were Titans who sought to destroy the universe, and Sorcerer Supremes who wielded magic, but without exception, they all had to surrender obediently before the timekeepers' batons.
Ravonna snorted, brandishing the Time Twister in her hand, "Since he refuses to cooperate, prune him directly. Move out."
"Understood."
That squad of fully armed Time Hunters immediately raised their time batons, which glowed with an orange light.
Although they couldn't understand what the purple light at Frieza's fingertips was, in their perception, no creature could withstand a single blow from a temporal weapon.
Even Thanos, if poked by that baton, would have to replay in slow motion.
"Charge! For the Sacred Timeline!"
Several guards roared, activating the thrusters on their boot soles, and charged towards Frieza like hungry wolves.
"Oh my, what a rude bunch of guests."
Frieza sat in his chair, not even shifting his rear.
He watched the black-clad figures rushing towards him, a cruel yet elegant curve forming at the corner of his lips.
"Since you're all so eager to die, I shall grant your wish."
"This is the color of death, you see."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Frieza's raised index finger tapped lightly several times. Several purple beams of death, like lightning from hell, instantly tore through the air.
Too fast!
Faster than the speed of thought!
The Time Hunters who were charging at the front hadn't even clearly seen what happened before a charred, bloody hole appeared between their eyebrows.
Thud... Thud...
Their bodies fell to the ground, not even having time to let out a scream.
Their armor was as fragile as paper in front of Frieza's death beams.
"What?!"
Ravonna's pupils suddenly constricted, and for the first time, a look of astonishment appeared on her usually arrogant face.
How could it be so fast?
"Damn it! All units, press forward! Don't give him a chance to act! Prune him!"
Seeing this, the remaining dozen or so Time Hunters not only didn't retreat but surged forward even more frantically.
They knew that against a variant of this level, only a human wave tactic would work. As long as he was touched by a Time Stick, the battle would be over.
"Hmph, want to touch master? You'll have to get past us first."
Just then, a sharp roar sounded.
Loki, who could no longer hold back, wearing that embarrassing Frieza Force uniform, was the first to leap out.
This was a great opportunity to show loyalty.
If he could help his master deal with these troublesome individuals, perhaps that damned brain bomb could be removed tonight.
"Frieza Force! Attack!"
Loki conjured two daggers in his hands and charged towards the Time Hunters like a phantom.
Immediately after, Maria, Natasha, Sharon, and even Wanda, who hadn't fully grasped the situation, all rushed forward like lionesses protecting their cubs, compelled by the mandatory command of the soul contract.
Although they wore ridiculous tight suits, they were, after all, top combatants on Earth.
Especially Wanda, whose Chaos energy was already primed and ready.
"Get out of the way! You freaks!"
Loki led the charge, thrusting a dagger directly at a guard's throat.
However, the next second—
The Time Hunter, unhurried, made his time baton glow with a dazzling orange light and lightly tapped Loki's dagger.
Buzz!
A strange energy fluctuation instantly erupted.
Loki felt an irresistible force of rules wash over him. His dagger, along with his entire body, began to twist and dissipate the moment it touched the baton, like a pencil drawing erased by an eraser.
"This... what the hell is this?! No! Master, save..."
Loki's terrified scream hadn't finished before he vanished into thin air.
It wasn't just Loki.
Maria and Natasha, who followed closely behind, and even Wanda, who was protected by chaos magic, all instantly disappeared without a trace as if their data had been deleted from the world the moment they were touched by that strange baton.
In the blink of an eye, only Frieza remained in the entire office.
"Oh?"
The red light in Frieza's eyes flickered, and instead of anger, a hint of interest appeared on his face.
"So this is the so-called pruning?"
"Teleporting people to the end of time, this technique is quite interesting."
Although all his subordinates were gone, Frieza didn't feel the slightest bit of regret. They were just a bunch of cannon fodder he had casually rounded up. He could always find another batch on this planet if he wished.
What truly interested him was the place behind these people—the TVA headquarters.
As a transmigrator familiar with the Marvel plot, he knew clearly that in that place, Infinity Stones were casually tossed in drawers like roadside pebbles, even used as paperweights.
Those were Infinity Stones!
Although they couldn't be used within the TVA, once taken out...
Collecting all six stones, plus that time twister capable of traversing time and space...
Wouldn't he be able to go to other parallel universes to collect rent?
Thinking of this, Frieza's heart couldn't help but beat a little faster.
This was a huge business opportunity!
"Hmph, now it's your turn."
Ravonna, seeing her subordinates deal with the cannon fodder, gained confidence and, with the remaining guards, surrounded Frieza.
"Your companions have been pruned, and you're next."
"Frieza, cease your resistance! This is your last chance!"
Facing this group of murderous Time Hunters, the killing intent on Frieza's face suddenly receded like a tide. He slowly dispersed the terrifying energy at his fingertips, then made a move that surprised everyone.
He raised his hands, performing a standard French military salute.
"Oh dear... that was truly terrifying."
Frieza put on a 'I'm so scared' expression, though it looked utterly fake and full of exaggerated acting.
"I didn't expect your weapons to be so powerful, even Loki was made to disappear by you."
"I surrender."
Frieza stood up from the chair, cooperated fully by turning around, and put his hands behind his back.
"Don't move, I'm a civilized person, I'll go with you."
This scene completely baffled Ravonna.
The great demon king who was just now murderous, poking several people to death with a single finger, just... surrendered?
However, as a seasoned judge, she did not relax her vigilance.
"Put the Time collar on him."
Ravonna sharply ordered, "Set the dial to the highest. If he dares to move even an inch, he'll experience the pain of a time loop."
Two Time Hunters cautiously stepped forward, took out a metal collar glowing red, and with a click, fastened it around Frieza's neck.
Frieza did not resist throughout, even cooperatively lowering his head.
Feeling the cold metal ring around his neck, Frieza chuckled inwardly.
This thing?
In the face of absolute power, it was nothing more than a toy.
But for those tons of Infinity Stones, for that ticket to traverse the multiverse, he will endure this humiliation.
After all, to enter that mysterious bureau located at the end of time, without these guides, he truly wouldn't find the way.
"Take him away."
Seeing that Frieza was truly under control, Ravonna finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She took out a remote control and pressed it in the air.
Buzz!
A rectangular orange light portal once again appeared out of thin air.
"Come on, prisoner."
A guard pushed Frieza.
Frieza wasn't angry. Instead, he turned back and gave the guard who pushed him an extremely 'kind' smile.
"I hope the food there is good, otherwise I might get angry, you know."
With that, he took elegant steps and voluntarily walked into the orange light portal.
After a dizzying sensation, the scene before him suddenly opened up.
It was no longer the office he had lavishly decorated, but the interior of a massive building filled with retro-futuristic style.
Towering domes, busy clerks, and that suffocating bureaucratic atmosphere permeating the air.
Of course, what caught Frieza's eye the most were the colorful stones casually tossed on desks by clerks as paperweights, with one even used to prop up a table leg.
Red, green, purple...
Their glow was even more captivating than the most expensive jewels.
Frieza stood in the center of the TVA's administrative hall, looking at the Infinity Stones scattered everywhere, and his crimson eyes instantly burst forth with greedy and ecstatic light.