"Hahaha! Too weak! Far too weak!"
Apocalypse stood drenched in the blue blood of the Kree.
The Ki bestowed upon him by Frieza lent every casual gesture the power to shatter mountain ranges.
Bang!
He flicked his wrist and several dozen Kree Accusers, their high-energy war-hammers still in hand, exploded into clouds of blood along with their prized armor.
"So this is Lord Frieza's power? Absolutely intoxicating."
Loki darted across the battlefield like a phantom. Every flicker of his energy blade claimed the life of another Kree high-ranking officer.
He even struck a Ginyu Force pose for the terrified Kree civilians scrambling to escape.
"Tremble, mortals!"
"Before the mighty Frieza Force, your only option is to kneel!"
In less than half an hour.
The Supreme Intelligence Hall, the very symbol of the Kree Empire's highest authority, had been breached.
That colossal green head—the Supreme Intelligence—was now pinned to the wall by countless steel rods Erik had conjured, sizzling as it short-circuited, clearly offline.
"Lord Frieza!"
Apocalypse wiped the blood from his face, dropped to one knee toward the hovering pod in the sky, and called out in a booming voice.
"The entire Kree Empire has been subdued!"
"All resistance has been eliminated! The rest have surrendered!"
"May Lord Frieza descend to claim your new asset!"
High above.
Seated in his golden egg-shaped pod, Frieza surveyed the battered city below and frowned slightly.
"Tch."
"Efficiency's fine, but could you lot show a little restraint when 'demolishing'?"
Frieza gazed ruefully at the palace now half in ruins.
"That's premium Kree crystal—worth a fortune even as scrap."
"What a bunch of wastrels."
Though he complained, Frieza still guided his pod slowly downward.
After all, this was one of the Galaxy's three great empires.
"Hail Lord Frieza!"
Countless soldiers of the Frieza Force and kneeling Kree shouted in unison.
Frieza floated from the pod and walked up to the Supreme Intelligence, looking at this biological computer that had schemed against civilizations beyond count.
"My, my, Mr. Big Brain."
Frieza tapped the huge glass dome with a finger.
"Heard you're quite the genius?"
"But in the face of absolute power, all your calculations are worthless."
The Supreme Intelligence's electronic eye blinked twice, then died completely.
It had predicted everything—except this Universe suddenly spawning an unreasonable, overpowered cheat.
"From this day forward—"
Frieza turned to face the crowd, his crimson eyes sweeping every corner.
"—the Kree Empire is renamed Planet Frieza 004."
"All warships, technology, and resources here are folded into the Force's roster."
"As for those blue-skinned fellows..."
A playful grin tugged at Frieza's lips.
"Since you love battle so much, you're all drafted into the vanguard suicide squads."
"My grand plan of universal conquest is still short plenty of cannon fodder."
After finishing the takeover, Frieza didn't rush off to rest. He turned his gaze to Apocalypse, Loki, Erik, and the others standing at the front.
These tools were still useful for now. But in Frieza's eyes, they were simply too weak.
It had taken them half an hour just to crush the Kree Empire. If they ever met the Celestials or that so-called Living Tribunal, they wouldn't even qualify as cannon fodder.
Then there was Thanos: decent strength, but still not enough.
So he opened a portal and summoned Thanos from Asgard.
"Thanos, Apocalypse, Loki, Erik... and you, Sebastian."
Frieza beckoned. "Come here."
Though puzzled, they immediately gathered around him in deference.
"Lord Frieza's bidding?" Thanos asked in a deep voice.
"Your performance was passable." Frieza clasped his hands behind his back, tone calm.
"But this Universe is vast. Beyond these tech-reliant weaklings, many beings you can't imagine exist."
"Like the Celestials who toy with Planets like marbles, and those self-righteous cosmic deities."
"With your current power, you'd likely be crushed in a single step if you met them."
"I have no wish to keep rescuing you wastes personally."
"Therefore..."
Frieza slowly raised his right hand.
In the palm of his hand, a mass of purple flame denser and vaster than ever before began to madly condense. The ripples of that power made the surrounding space crack with hairline fissures.
"This is your year-end bonus from me."
"Open wide and catch it."
Whoooosh—
Five thick purple streams, liquid and solid, instantly plunged into Thanos and the other four.
BOOM!!!!!
The commotion this time dwarfed anything before it.
The entire surface of Hala quaked violently.
Thanos and the others felt a terrifying force, as if it would burst their bodies, wildly splitting every single cell.
"ROOOAR—!!!"
All five roared at once, their auras skyrocketing like a rocket.
In the end, they stabilized at a value that filled most life in the Universe with despair.
Power level: 200,000!
That's two hundred thousand from the Dragon Ball side.
Translated to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is already knocking on the door of single-Universe level.
Now each of them could casually destroy a Planet and withstand a stellar explosion with their bare bodies.
"Such… such magnificent power…"
Thanos clenched his fist, feeling that dimension-ripping might within him, trembling with excitement. He felt that even without the Infinity Gauntlet, he could grind his former self into the dirt a hundred times over.
"Thank you for your gift, Lord Frieza!"
The five knelt in unison, their foreheads hitting the floor hard enough to crack it.
"All right, stop that. The tiles are expensive." Frieza waved a disgusted hand.
"Since you've taken the benefits, you'll sell your lives for me."
He pointed at the vast starry sky overhead. "The Milky Way Galaxy is too small, my appetite is enormous."
"Each of you will command a fleet. In five directions, fight for me."
"The Skrull Empire, the Shi'ar Empire, even the unclaimed wild frontiers…"
"Wherever there are resources, wherever there is life, plant the 'Frieza' banner."
"I give you three months. I want every corner of this Universe to sing the glories of the Frieza Force."
"Understood?"
"Yes, Lord Frieza!!!"
Flames of battle burned in their eyes—a fanaticism ready to conquer everything.
Watching his underlings depart, ready for a grand campaign, Frieza nodded in satisfaction.
"Good, the grunt work is taken care of."
"So next…"
He drew four Infinity Stones from his pocket.
Blue Space, yellow Mind, purple Power, green Time.
They glittered in his palm.
"Still two short."
Frieza's gaze turned profound. "The Reality Stone is well hidden, but no rush."
"As for that one…"
He thought of that mysterious Planet at the edge of the Universe: Vormir.
And the Soul Stone said to be the most enigmatic and eerie of all.
"A soul for a soul?"
A mocking smile formed on his lips.
"Such a tiresome game."
"Still, rules are rules."
"Since a beloved must be sacrificed…"
Frieza had no beloved or rather, he loved only himself.
He could hardly sacrifice himself—that would be absurd.
But someone else had one.
"Thanos!"
Frieza called out, stopping Thanos as he was about to leave.
"Lord Frieza?" Thanos halted and turned respectfully.
"Don't rush off to war just yet." Frieza stepped up, patting Thanos's broad shoulder.
"I have a special mission for you."
"Special mission?" Thanos blinked.
"Exactly."
Frieza's smile turned meaningful. "Go fetch your green-skinned adopted daughter. What's her name? Gamora?"
"Bring her to me."
At the name Gamora, Thanos's body tensed. She was the daughter he cherished most, twisted though that love was.
"Lord Frieza… what do you want with her?" He asked cautiously.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't." Frieza's face darkened, and a dreadful pressure enveloped Thanos.
"Take her and come with me."
He turned toward a distant stellar coordinate. "We're going to a place with lovely scenery."
"Vormir."
"There's a very pretty stone there. I'd like to retrieve it and make a pendant."
"Your daughter is the key."