Pfft—
Odin's aged body slammed heavily onto the Bifrost Bridge.
Golden divine blood spilled from the corner of his lips, staining the once-sacred, majestic armor red.
He struggled to rise, but Gungnir in his grip groaned as though it might snap at any moment.
This was a battlefield or rather, a one-sided massacre.
Thanos strode step by step toward the fallen Odin. In those purple eyes, there was no trace of pity, only fanaticism for power and boundless loyalty to Frieza.
"All-Father?" Thanos sneered and stamped a foot on Odin's chest.
Crack!
The sound of shattering bone rang out clearly.
"Before the power Lord Frieza bestows, your so-called 'divine might' is as fragile as paper."
"No… impossible…"
Odin's lone eye widened, disbelief flooding it.
He couldn't understand.
Why had this purple Titan's strength suddenly soared to such a level? What was that ink-black aura?
"Nothing is impossible."
Thanos leaned down until his purple face was almost touching Odin's nose.
"Because we serve the true emperor of the universe."
"And you…"
Thanos lifted his gaze, sweeping it across the bloody battlefield.
Zeus had been teleported ten thousand meters up by Azazel and left to free-fall into a pulp.
The Jade Emperor's Haotian Mirror had been turned into a flying disc by Erik, beheading countless celestial soldiers.
Ra's solar barque had been torn apart bare-handed by Apocalypse, its gods fed to the void.
"You're nothing but outdated relics that should've been swept into history's trash heap."
"It's over."
Thanos raised his blade, its edge aimed at Odin's throat.
"Your era ends now."
At that critical instant—
"Hold it."
A languid, elegant voice filled with endless authority drifted from the golden cockpit high above.
Thanos's blade froze, a hair's breadth from Odin's throat. He immediately lowered the weapon, turned, and dropped to one knee toward the sky.
"Lord Frieza!"
Frieza, still holding his half-finished soda, floated slowly out of the cockpit. His white suit remained spotless, as though the earth-shaking battle had nothing to do with him.
"Thanos."
Frieza shook his head, reproach in those crimson eyes.
"Didn't I tell you?"
"These are prime fertilizer, killing them outright is such a waste."
He descended slowly and stood before Odin, looking down at the once-invincible All-Father.
"Well, Mr. Odin?"
A teasing smile formed on Frieza's lips. "Still think your motley crew can judge me?"
Odin glared at Frieza, eyes full of hatred and despair but he couldn't utter a word. Under that terrifying pressure, even breathing was agony.
"I'll take that as a no." Frieza nodded in satisfaction.
He turned toward the stubbornly resisting divine coalition.
"Everyone, stop."
Frieza snapped his fingers.
Snap!
With that crisp sound, every Frieza Force warrior instantly halted.
Apocalypse released the hand choking Nezha.
Erik dispersed the storm of metal.
Sebastian tossed the nearly drained Brahma to the ground.
The entire battlefield sank into deathly silence.
Only the groans of grievously wounded gods echoed in the air.
"Ladies and gentlemen."
Frieza spread his arms, his voice carried by Ki across Asgard, to Earth, to the Nine Realms.
"Since you've lost, you'll follow my rules."
"Originally, I planned to turn the lot of you into fertilizer."
"But…"
He glanced at the battered yet still radiant deities.
"I suddenly feel that would be too easy. Besides, my Frieza Paradise is short a few headline attractions."
Frieza's gaze turned cold and sinister.
"Thanos!"
"I am here!"
"Go. Round up every last one of these so-called 'gods.'"
Frieza raised a finger and traced a huge circle in the air. "I want you to build a massive, transparent prison ship. Lock them all inside."
"Be it Zeus, Odin, or the Jade Emperor, or Ra."
"Not a single one escapes."
"Then..."
The corners of Frieza's lips stretched almost to his ears, showing a grin that made everyone shudder.
"Send that ship into low Earth orbit."
"Not just Earth, Xandar, the Kree Empire..."
"I want them paraded across the entire Universe."
"I want every creature in this cosmos to see that this is the price of defying me."
"This is how pitiful and ridiculous these so-called gods are before me."
A strike that kills the body and the spirit!
For these deities who perched above mortals and basked in worship for eons, being gawked at like zoo monkeys, displayed, mocked, is countless times worse than death.
"You... you demon!"
Odin shook with fury and coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"You will pay for this!"
"Retribution?" Frieza sneered in contempt.
He stepped forward, planted a foot on Odin's face, and ground it down.
"If retribution comes, let it find me. I've been rather bored lately, after all."
Frieza withdrew his foot and wiped it on the floor in disgust.
"Take them away."
"Yes, Lord Frieza!!!"
At Frieza's command, the Frieza Force sprang into action again. This time, however, it was not slaughter but capture.
The once-mighty gods, now powerless, were fitted with special energy shackles and herded like livestock into cages.
Cries, curses, and pleas rose and fell in waves but no one paid them any heed, because in this Universe, Frieza's will is the only truth.
Several hours later.
Earth, Planet Frieza 001.
Survivors who had just endured despair had barely caught their breath when the sky stunned them anew.
Where once there had been only empty sky, a colossal transparent ship now appeared, like a crystal palace floating in midair.
Within that palace, countless gods were packed behind bars.
Thor, Odin, Zeus...
Figures known only from myths now lay ragged and bloodied in cages.
Beneath the vessel hung a vast banner, emblazoned in universal script.
[Defying Lord Frieza: Ragnarok Exhibition Hall]
"My God..."
"Is that... Zeus?"
"The one-eyed elder... is that Odin?"
"Even the gods... have fallen?"
Countless people knelt, gazing at the hellish sky, their last sliver of hope shattered. In its place came bone-deep fear and submission.
[Ding! Universal faith system collapse detected!]
[Fear Points +10 Trillion!]
[Ding! Ragnarok achievement unlocked!]
[Fear Points +20 Trillion!]
The numbers on the system panel surged wildly again, bringing the distant "Diamond Form" unlock tantalizingly closer.
Frieza lounged at the top of Frieza Tower, watching the exhibition ship drift past the window, swirling wine in hand, a satisfied smile on his lips.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho..."
"What a beautiful sight."
"The twilight of the gods is my dawn."
He turned to the shivering remnants of the Ultimates—those still alive.
Frieza gestured toward the window. "See that? That's the backing you counted on. Anything left to say?"
Steve lowered his head, his shield clattering to the floor.
Antonio closed his eyes, abandoning thought entirely.
They understood that in this Universe, no one could stop this demon anymore. He was the true emperor of the universe.