Frieza reached out to grab the Tesseract.
"Wait!"
Captain America, Steve Rogers, may have been old-school, but his principles were rock solid. He lunged forward, blocking the device, his battle-scarred Vibranium shield held across his chest.
"Sir, that thing is extremely dangerous! It's not a trophy; the safety of the entire planet depends on it! You can't just take it; it must be held by S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Frieza paused, tilting his head to look at this so-called moral compass of humanity.
"Is that the same organization that just planned to drop a nuclear bomb on the middle of New York City? You call that 'safe'?"
That single line completely silenced Cap. Tony's face darkened, too; the nuclear bomb decision was definitely shady.
"Listen, soldier."
Frieza tapped the tip of his finger lightly on Cap's shield, making a crisp, high-pitched ping.
"I am not asking for your permission. If I say it's mine, it's mine."
"Furthermore..."
Frieza pulled the yellow Mind Stone out of his suit pocket with his other hand and casually tossed it up and down.
"I already have one. Good things come in pairs, right? It's perfectly reasonable to collect the set, wouldn't you agree?"
Everyone's eyes narrowed at the sight of the Mind Stone. Wasn't that the gem from Loki's scepter?! When did this guy get his hands on it?!
"If you don't hand it over..." Cap gritted his teeth, his muscles tensing. "Then we can't let you leave!"
Clank!
As Cap finished speaking, Black Widow raised her handgun, Hawkeye drew his bowstring, and even the Hulk let out a low growl. Though he was still a bit wary of the blonde man, the atmosphere of an impending group fight gave him some courage.
Tony sighed, his repulsor palms lighting up: "Look, buddy, I appreciate the help, but we really can't give you that. How about we talk? I can write you a check. Just name your number."
The tension instantly ratcheted up.
Just at that critical moment.
THUD!
A heavy crash echoed as a large figure in a red cape descended onto the platform.
It was the late-arriving Thor.
He had been dealing with a few runaway Leviathan beasts and had just made it back.
"What is all this? Why is everyone so serious?"
Thor shook the alien blood off his hammer, looking confusedly at the standoff. Then, his gaze swept to the corner, and he suddenly froze, as if seeing something unbelievable.
In the pile of broken glass, his brother, Loki, the God of Mischief, was wearing an... extremely shameful, eye-watering white and purple leotard, complete with two shovel-like shoulder pads!
The tights clung to Loki's scrawny frame, making him look utterly ridiculous.
"Pff—HA HA HA HA HA!"
Thor couldn't hold it in and erupted into thunderous laughter, pointing at Loki and practically doubling over.
"Loki! My brother! Is this your battle attire for conquering Earth? Is this the latest Midgardian clown suit? Ha ha ha ha! It suits you perfectly! Truly perfect!"
The laughter instantly broke half the tension.
Loki, sprawled on the ground, his face flushed a furious purple-red—the same color as the lining of his humiliating tights.
Shame!
Unprecedented shame!
He could be mocked by anyone but his simpleton brother!
"THOR!!!"
Loki shrieked in furious embarrassment. With a flash of green light, the shameful uniform vanished, replaced by his signature Asgardian green robes and horned helmet.
"I will not allow you to insult the dignity of a god!" Loki tried to recover his composure.
However.
The next second, a voice as cold as the wind from the ninth circle of Hell softly sounded.
"Did I say... you were allowed to take off your work uniform?"
Frieza turned around, his crimson eyes fixing on Loki with a hint of impatient killing intent.
"Or do you wish to die?"
Despite the gentle nature of the question, Loki felt like a chicken being strangled. The primal fear embedded in his bones instantly overwhelmed all his dignity.
Flash!
In virtually 0.01 seconds, the green light flashed again.
Loki instantly reappeared in the white and purple Ginyu Force-esque tights, even adjusting the shoulder pads himself, then obediently flattened himself back onto the ground, head bowed low, trembling all over.
"Forgive me, Master! I was wrong, Master! I'm putting it on right now!"
This sight left everyone else stunned. Thor's laughter stopped abruptly, as if his throat had been squeezed shut. He stared with wide eyes at the man who was ordering his brother around, then at Loki, who was as docile as a dog.
Was this still the proud, arrogant God of Mischief who looked down on the entire universe?
It was like a completely different person!
"Stark... what is going on?" Thor gripped Mjolnir, his tone turning serious.
Tony swallowed hard and said softly, "Thor, much as I hate to admit it, this guy is a genuine monster. He is a threat to Earth! He has completely broken your brother. Also, he just single-handedly wiped out an entire fleet in space."
"What?" Thor's heart clenched. "He's a threat to Earth?"
"I'd say a threat to the entire universe," Tony added.
Hearing this, Thor hesitated no longer. As a protector of Earth, he had to step forward.
Zzzzzz—
Lightning crackled around Mjolnir. Thor took a step forward, blocking his comrades, his muscles tensed as he entered battle mode.
"Mortal! Whatever you have done to Loki, and no matter how strong you are! This Space Stone belongs to Asgard, and you shall not lay a hand on it!"
Frieza found the sight of the Avengers, poised for attack and viewing him as their mortal enemy, rather amusing. Did these ants really think they could band together and take down an elephant?
"Hmph..."
He chuckled softly, his body slowly lifting off the ground until he was suspended in mid-air.
Frieza spread his arms, like an emperor about to embrace the world, looking down at everyone below. His blonde hair whipped in the wind, and his sharp suit looked like regal armor.
An indescribable, terrifying aura instantly enveloped the top of Stark Tower, making it difficult for everyone to breathe.
"Asgard? Avengers?"
Frieza's lips curved into a supremely arrogant, cruel smile. His voice was low but cut clearly into every person's ears.
"A bunch of foolish Earth monkeys, and you, the alien brute with a hammer..."
"With your pitiful Power Levels, do you really intend to challenge me, Great Emperor Frieza?"
"Oh ho ho ho..."