In the vast sea of stars.
That golden-white, smooth, eggshell-shaped hover pod abruptly intruded into this star field filled with a murderous aura.
Directly in front of it, the massive vessel, like a giant, winged bat—Sanctuary II—lay dormant in the darkness.
Countless small escort ships and Leviathans surrounded it like planets orbiting the sun.
The dense array of dark cannon barrels was enough to make the leader of any civilization lose bladder control.
But in Frieza's eyes, this was nothing more than a pile of scrap metal floating in the Universe.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
The radar inside the hover pod emitted a slight warning sound.
"Oh dear..."
Frieza looked at the cannon barrels on the holographic screen that were already charging and locking onto him, a helpless smile forming on his lips.
"What a rude welcoming ceremony. Since you're all in such a hurry to be reborn, I shall be merciful and save you the time spent queuing."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Without any fancy movements, he simply tapped his fingertip. Several purple beams, moving with terrifying speed, instantly traced deadly zigzag lines in space.
If the Chitauri fleet was made of paper, then Thanos's elite escort ships were just slightly thicker cardboard.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The continuous explosions transformed into silent, brilliant fireworks in the vacuum.
One battleship after another exploded into fragments in the purple light.
The firelight reflected on Frieza's elegant face, making him look particularly sinister.
In just a single exchange, aside from the massive Sanctuary II flagship itself, all surrounding escort forces were completely wiped out.
"Hoo..."
Frieza blew on his finger, controlling the hover pod as it slowly passed through the burning wreckage.
"The fireworks were nice, but they're a bit choking."
The hover pod traced an arc and flew straight toward the massive landing bay of Sanctuary II.
"Stop!"
As soon as he approached the landing bay, hundreds of heavily armored soldiers roared and rushed out. They held various strange energy weapons and frantically pulled the triggers on Frieza.
"Noisy."
Frieza didn't even lift an eyelid. He merely lightly pressed a red button on the armrest of the hover pod.
That was a small toy Erik had specially installed to curry favor with him—the Magnetic Shock Cannon.
Buzz—
A circle of visible, transparent ripples instantly spread outward from the hover pod.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
It was as if the alien soldiers rushing at the front hit a wall. Their bodies instantly exploded into mists of blood. Their armor and weapons were all pulverized.
The passage was instantly cleared.
"Tsk, Erik's craftsmanship isn't bad."
Frieza nodded in satisfaction, controlling the hover pod and swaggering into the interior of Sanctuary II.
Then, with extreme arrogance, he parked the pod in the exclusive berth that originally belonged to Ebony.
"Alright."
Frieza floated out of the pod and straightened his immaculate white suit.
He wasn't in a rush to proceed further. Instead, he slightly closed his eyes, sensing the aura inside the spaceship.
Chaotic, tyrannical, and filled with the desire for slaughter.
But deep within these ant-like auras, there was one energy.
Steady, profound, and domineering.
It was the strongest aura he had sensed since arriving in this world. It was even slightly stronger than that so-called Captain Marvel.
"Oh-ho-ho..."
Frieza opened his eyes, the smile at the corner of his lips growing deeper.
"Found him."
"That purple potato."
Frieza walked with elegant steps, not even using his flying ability. His shoes made a crisp "clack-clack" sound on the metal floor.
Frieza couldn't even be bothered to lift a finger against the short-sighted cannon fodder he encountered along the way. He simply used his aura to slightly suppress them. Those minions had their eyeballs burst and died from excessive bleeding.
This was true Conqueror's Haki.
Soon, the huge metal door carved with the Titan totem appeared before Frieza.
Without any hesitation, Frieza raised his foot.
Boom!
That several-meter-thick alloy door, strong enough to withstand a nuclear explosion, was kicked away. The door spun like a piece of paper, flew into the hall, and violently slammed into the distant wall, embedding itself there.
As the smoke and dust cleared, Frieza walked into the center of the Universe's dark power, hands in his pockets, stepping over the wreckage of the door.
The hall was extremely spacious and dimly lit.
And upon the throne at the end of the hall, a massive purple figure was sitting quietly.
He wore heavy golden battle armor, a helmet, and held his signature double-edged sword.
That was Thanos.
The Mad Titan.
Director of the Universal Population Control Commission.
At this moment, this Universal Overlord was watching the uninvited guest with eyes as deep as black holes.
There was no anger.
No roaring.
Only a heart-stopping calmness.
Frieza stopped, standing in the center of the hall, and looking up at Thanos on the throne.
He tilted his head, displaying an extremely insulting expression, like one inspecting a rare animal.
"Is this the legendary Thanos?"
"Why does he look..."
Frieza stretched out a finger and pointed at Thanos's large purple face covered in vertical lines.
"A bit uglier than I imagined?"
"Did someone step on your face with a shoe sole? So many wrinkles?"
Facing this blatant humiliation, Thanos did not fly into a rage. He simply stood up slowly.
In that instant, his massive, mountain-like physique brought a heavy sense of oppression to the entire hall.
Carrying his blade, he stepped down from the throne, one step at a time. With every step, the floor slightly trembled.
He stopped only when he was five meters away from Frieza. The difference in height between the two was immense. Thanos was well over two and a half meters tall, while Frieza's human form was only one meter eighty-five.
But in terms of aura, the short person wearing the white suit was not suppressed at all. He even subtly displayed a confidence that suggested he was taking control.
"Earthling."
Thanos spoke, his voice deep and resonant, "I watched your battle. It was spectacular."
Thanos's gaze swept over Frieza. "You killed my children and destroyed my fleet. You even possess the power to easily destroy a Planet."
Thanos paused, a hint of curiosity flashing in his fierce eyes. "In the known records of this Universe, there is no mention of you."
"Tell me."
"Who exactly are you?"
"Why do you possess strength comparable to the Celestials?"