The torrent of steel, formed by billions of metallic fragments, let out an air-ripping scream as it was wielded by Erik's large, aged yet fervent hands.
"Go to hell! Alien scum!"
Beneath Erik's red helmet, his eyes glittered with the satisfaction of vengeance.
This was a battle for his dignity as a figurehead in front of Frieza.
However, facing this overwhelming metal storm—
On Ebony's grayish-white face, the panic Erik had anticipated did not appear.
On the contrary, in his murky eyes, what was revealed was still that sickening arrogance of a higher civilization looking down upon a lower life form.
"Crude."
Ebony elegantly raised his withered hands, lightly flicking his fingers in the void.
"Far too crude."
"Do you think adding acceleration to this scrap metal allows you to touch the son of Thanos?"
Buzz—
A subtle yet powerful wave of Psychokinesis instantly erupted, centered on Ebony.
That wasn't magnetism, it was pure will.
The metallic fragments, which had been aggressively shooting towards his face, seemed to crash into a mass of viscous glue three meters away from him. Their speed plummeted, then they stalled, and finally began to tremble violently.
"What?!" Erik's expression changed.
He felt his control over the magnetic field being interfered with by a brutish force.
"Is this your limit, old man who controls magnetism?" Ebony curled his lips into a sneer and thrust his hands outward.
"Let me show you what it means when all things become weapons."
Rumble!
On the street below, a beautifully designed, three-pointed star-style building that had just been repaired by Engineering Robots suddenly wailed.
Amidst the tremendous sound of the foundation cracking, the dozens-of-stories-high building was actually uprooted whole. It stood like a colossal shield, barring the way in front of Ebony.
Bang... Bang...
Countless metallic fragments violently struck the building's walls, kicking up dust and debris everywhere, yet they were unable to penetrate the thick reinforced concrete defense.
"It's not over yet."
Ebony lightly hooked his finger. The already riddled building, under his control, began to disassemble and reconfigure, transforming into countless massive concrete blocks that were hurled towards Erik.
"In your eyes, only metal obeys you."
"But in my eyes..."
Ebony spread his arms, and countless pieces of rubble, glass, and even the streetlights by the road floated up behind him.
"All things obey my command."
"Now, kneel and confess."
Boom!
The debris rained down like a meteor shower, forcing Erik to raise a Magnetic Shield. He was struck repeatedly, retreating backward with a flushed face.
If it were a pure metal confrontation, he might have won. But this damned alien was actually playing an Environmental War game.
The advantage seemed to be tilting toward Ebony.
Looking at the suppressed Erik, the smile on Ebony's face grew more triumphant. He prepared to deliver the final blow to this ignorant native.
His gaze locked onto an even grander skyscraper, one that even bore a flag with Frieza's portrait.
"Using this building as your tombstone should be dignified enough."
Ebony made a grasping motion with his hand, about to uproot the entire building.
However, just as the building emitted a "creaking" sound and tilted slightly—
Whoosh!
A faint sound of air being torn suddenly rang out on the battlefield. Even faster than the sound was a beam of purple light.
Death Beam!
Pfft!
Before Ebony could retract the smile on his face, his movements froze. He lowered his head, staring incredulously at his chest.
There, a charred hole had appeared, piercing him front to back.
The immense Psychic Power that was being gathered instantly dissipated like a deflated balloon.
"How... how... is this possible..."
Ebony struggled to turn his head, his murky eyes filled with confusion and terror.
He looked toward that direction. The blond man who had been floating in the air, sitting in an Egg Pod.
Frieza was currently holding the posture of having extended his index finger, the tip still emitting wisps of smoke. But the expression on his face was not pleasant.
It was filled with disdain, disgust, and a trace of offended fury.
"Oh dear..."
Frieza retracted his finger, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped his hand.
"Originally, I wanted to watch a monkey show."
"Whether you were smashing people with rocks or slicing them with glass, I could treat it as part of the performance."
"But..."
Frieza's scarlet eyes fixed intensely on Ebony, and his voice rose.
"Who permitted you to touch my building?"
"That is my asset. My real estate. I just had someone repair it."
"Do you know how expensive current maintenance costs are? Do you know how the depreciation of that building is calculated?"
"You noseless freak, how dare you carry out illegal demolition right in front of me?!"
Ebony opened his mouth, and blood flowed from the corner of his lips.
He wanted to say this was war.
He wanted to say he was doing it for the great Thanos.
But he couldn't understand why, in this Universe where strength reigns supreme, someone would kill him over a dilapidated building?
This reason was too ridiculous.
Carrying this final doubt and resentment, the light in Ebony's eyes completely extinguished.
This strategist, who had terrified countless civilizations, was thus killed on the spot for the "crime of destruction of private property."
His corpse fell from the sky, splattering into a mess.
"Hoo..."
Erik looked at the falling corpse and let out a long breath, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
He turned around and bowed deeply to Frieza. "Thank you, Lord Frieza, for your assistance. I am incompetent and have disgraced you."
"Hmph."
Frieza snorted coldly and glanced at him sideways.
"Don't celebrate too soon, Erik. You couldn't even deal with a skinny old man who only throws rocks. Go back and practice the Ginyu Force dance a hundred more times."
"Yes. I accept the punishment." Erik felt as if he had received a great pardon.
"Enough, stop wasting time." Frieza waved his hand impatiently.
"Since the noseless one is dead, the rest is simple."
"Go, take Loki and the others, and clean up the remaining alien trash in this city."
"If I see another building destroyed, I will brick you into a wall."
"Understood." Erik trembled and immediately left to carry out the order.
After dealing with these trivial matters, Frieza rotated his pod and looked toward the other battlefield.
Over there, two behemoths were still engaged in the most primitive form of close combat.
"Roar!!!"
The gigantic Apocalypse was currently straddling Cull, his two massive fists raining down furiously like pile drivers.
"Do you yield!" Apocalypse roared while hitting him.
Although he had the upper hand, Cull was simply too sturdy. His skin, harder than alloy, made Apocalypse's fists feel numb.
Moreover, even though the brute was beaten until his face was covered in blood, he still wielded his Chain-Hammer, occasionally landing a heavy blow on Apocalypse.
The two of them were like two rhinos fighting in a mud pit, having knocked down large swathes of the surrounding buildings.
Looking at this battle, which lacked any aesthetic appeal and severely damaged the city's appearance, Frieza's brow furrowed even deeper.
"Too slow."
Frieza shook his head, his eyes filled with disappointment.
"Apocalypse, with all his brute strength, what's the difference between him and a street thug when he fights?"
"Furthermore..."
Frieza glanced at the neighborhood that had been leveled, his heart bleeding.
"How much rent is being lost here?"
"No more waiting."
Frieza slowly raised his hand, and the despair-inducing purple light illuminated his fingertip once more.
"Hey! You blue-skinned one!"
Frieza's voice exploded in Apocalypse's mind.
Apocalypse, who was fighting enthusiastically, froze and subconsciously looked up.
"Lord Frieza?"
"Get lost." Frieza coldly spat out two words.
Although Apocalypse didn't understand why, the fear originating from his soul left him without any hesitation. He violently rolled to the side, scrambling away from Cull's body.
The instant he left—
Whoosh!
A thick purple beam of light descended from the sky like divine punishment.
Cull, who was just preparing to get up, didn't even manage to raise his head.
Boom!
The beam accurately pierced his chest, instantly vaporizing it along with the Chain-Hammer in his hand.
The terrifying high temperature instantly incinerated Cull's massive body into ashes, leaving only a deep, smoking crater on the ground.
"Phew... that's much quieter now."
Frieza blew on his finger, looked at the crater, and nodded contentedly.
"Although it was a bit of a waste of manpower, this brute is too ugly and doesn't meet my aesthetic standards, so it's better to discard him."
Apocalypse cowered to the side, looking at the crater, gulping, cold sweat pouring down his face.
If he had rolled a bit slower just now...
"Apocalypse."
"I-I am here!" Apocalypse quickly crawled over and knelt properly.
"I'm leaving this mess here to you." Frieza pointed to the ruins covering the ground.
"Sweep the ground clean and repair the buildings. If I come back and see even a single broken brick..."
"I understand! I will go lay bricks immediately!" Apocalypse banged his head repeatedly on the ground.
After arranging everything, Frieza settled back into his comfortable cockpit.
He raised his head, his scarlet eyes piercing the atmosphere and locking onto the spaceship lurking like a giant beast in outer space.
Sanctuary II.
"Alright."
Frieza straightened his collar, an expectant smile appearing on his face.
"The guard dogs have been cleaned up. Next, it's time to meet their master."
Buzz!
The engine beneath the suspension pod emitted a slight hum.
Frieza transformed into a golden stream of light, shooting straight into the sky, flying toward the deep starry expanse.
"Thanos, oh Thanos."
"I hope your Infinity Gauntlet is ready, or else this trip will be far too boring."
"Oh-ho-ho..."