"Restart the Universe?"
Upon Eternity's vast, celestial face, which was grand beyond words, for the first time, an emotional fluctuation known as "absurdity" appeared. It was no mortal expression. Rather, it was the trembling of galaxies and the twisting of nebulae.
"Outsider, you are far too arrogant."
Eternity's voice, like the echo of the Big Bang, vibrated in every corner of every dimension.
"I am the Universe, and the Universe is me."
"You wish to restart me? That is to destroy the very foundation of existence."
"Even if you possess the six Infinity Stones, even if you possess that eerie power..."
"Before the absolute weight of concepts, you are but a speck of dust."
BOOM!!!
Eternity moved.
He did not throw a punch, nor did he release a wave of energy.
Instead—
Collapse!
The space of the entire observable Universe frantically collapsed toward Frieza's location in this single instant.
The gravitational constant was rewritten, the speed of light was redefined, and the law of causality was forcibly twisted.
This was no longer a battle. This was a strike at the level of rules.
Frieza felt as if he had been thrown into a tin can being squeezed by a hydraulic press. The density of the surrounding space increased by billions of times in an instant. Even his body, which was strong enough to crush stars, let out a series of overwhelmed "crackling" sounds.
"Tch..."
Frieza frowned slightly, a flash of displeasure crossing his crimson eyes.
"Although I quite like tight-fitting clothes, this outfit is a bit too tight."
He slowly raised his hand, the black aura in his palm intertwining with the radiance of the six-colored stones.
"Since you want to play this conceptual game, I shall play along with you."
Frieza's gaze suddenly became deep and dangerous.
"I say—"
"Let there be light!"
HUM——
It was not the holy light of God's creation.
It was a pitch-black, all-consuming "anti-light".
That was the unique light of his Black Form—the Light of Void.
This light did not illuminate the darkness. Instead, it dyed Eternity's brilliant, star-filled body with a layer of despairing black.
"What?!"
Eternity discovered in horror that his control over the universal rules was rapidly draining away.
The galaxies, black holes, and dimensions that had been like extensions of his own limbs, all became nourishment for that black light.
"You... you are eroding the Universe itself?!" Eternity let out an unbelievable roar.
"No."
Frieza shook his head, an elegant yet cruel smile hanging on his face.
"This isn't called erosion."
"This is called—"
"Asset Restructuring."
Frieza extended a finger and lightly tapped the nearly solidified spatial barrier in front of him.
"Break."
Crack!
A crisp sound of shattering rang out.
That cage of rules, sufficient to crush a god, shattered instantly like fragile glass into a sky full of light specks.
Frieza walked out unscathed. He looked at the boundlessly vast Eternity before him, his eyes holding no reverence, only greed.
"Eternity, oh Eternity."
"You thought you were the master of this Universe?"
"But in my eyes..."
Frieza spread his arms, and the black aura behind him transformed into a ferocious beast.
It bit down on Eternity's Nebula neck.
"You are nothing more than a slightly larger fish tank."
"And the fish inside..."
Frieza pointed at Earth, pointed at the Milky Way Galaxy, and pointed at those civilizations still trembling in fear.
"...are all mine!"
"Including the fish tank itself!"
"ROAR!!!"
Eternity let out a mournful cry.
He felt it.
The outsider's will was forcibly branding itself upon his core concept. It was something more terrifying than death—enslavement.
Once successful, he would no longer be the incarnation of the Universe, but... Frieza's private property.
"Don't even think about it!!!"
Eternity fought back desperately, countless supernovae exploding within his body.
He tried to break through that layer of black shackles but Frieza's power was too domineering. It was absolute violence that stood above a single Universe.
"Resisting?"
Frieza sneered, and the Infinity Stones in his hand flashed once more.
"Before a contract, resistance is futile."
"Reality, alter!"
With a flash of red light, the supernovae exploding within Eternity instantly turned into harmless fireworks.
"Time, stop!"
Green light flowed and Eternity's defensive movements were frozen in this very second.
"Mind, submit!"
Yellow light pierced straight into Eternity's core consciousness.
"Kneel!"
Frieza gave a thunderous shout, his words carrying the weight of law.
RUMBLE—
That magnificent giant representing the Universe itself, under the horrified gaze of all living beings in the Universe, slowly bent its waist and lowered its head.
Until—
It knelt on one knee.
In that moment, the entire Universe fell silent. All the stars dimmed, as if mourning the fall of an old god.
Only the white figure floating before Eternity's brow radiated an eternal, inextinguishable glow.
"Is... is this real?"
On Earth, Doctor Strange, Stephen Strange, who was kneeling on the ground, let his Sling Ring slip from his hand.
He looked at the despairing scene in the sky, his faith completely collapsing.
Even Eternity has knelt. Is there any hope left for this Universe?
"It's hopeless, just wait for death. Goodbye."
Deadpool, who had barged in, even pulled out his twin katanas and stabbed them into his own temples. He tried to escape reality in this manner but in the next second, he came back to life.
Frieza had used the Time Stone.
"Who gave you permission to die?" Frieza's voice rang out in Deadpool's mind.
"My zoo just happens to be missing a cross-talking Joker. You are quite suitable."
...
High above.
Frieza looked at the now completely submissive Eternity and nodded in satisfaction.
[Ding! Detected the submission of the highest-ranking deity of the Main Universe!]
[Fear points +50 trillion!]
[Ding! Detected cracks forming in the rules of the Multiverse!]
[Fear points +80 trillion!]
...
The numbers were jumping frantically but there was still a significant gap from that damn "Diamond Form."
"Tch, it's still not enough, as expected." Frieza smacked his lips with some regret.
"Although I've gained a decent watchdog, this amount of fear still can't satisfy my appetite."
He originally wanted to kill Eternity but on second thought, if he killed Eternity, this Universe would collapse. That would be equivalent to destroying his own farm. This did not align with the business principles of sustainable development.
"Forget it, I'll keep him around to harvest slowly."
Frieza patted Eternity's giant nose (if he had one).
"From today on, you are the property manager of Frieza Universe M."
"You are responsible for looking after this place for me."
"If a single star is missing, or if any civilization dares not to pay their management fees, I will take you apart and set you off like fireworks."
"As... as you command... Master..."
In Eternity's grand voice, there was an unprecedented humbleness.
— — —
At the top of Avengers Tower.
Frieza sat in his comfortable chair. Natasha immediately brought over a glass of chilled sparkling water. Frieza took a sip, feeling the pleasure of the carbonated bubbles bursting on his tongue.
He called out, "Thanos."
Thanos, who had returned from his journey, said, "Your subordinate is here."
Frieza asked, "Have all the thorns in this Universe been cleared out?"
"Reporting to Lord Frieza!"
Thanos took out a list.
"The X-Men have been incorporated by Erik (Earth-1610 version) and are undergoing ideological reform."
"The Illuminati members have all been imprisoned and are currently having suitable display booths selected for them."
"Regarding the Thanos of this Universe, by your command, I have already dealt with him."
"As for those extra-dimensional beings hiding in the cracks of dimensions..."
Thanos paused, a cruel smile appearing on his face.
"Dormammu has been dragged out by Apocalypse and is now being kept in a bottle to be used as a light bulb."
"Mephisto tried to trick Loki with a contract, but Loki turned around and sold him to Sebastian. He's now being used as fuel in Hell."
"Very good." Frieza nodded.
"It seems the cleanup work for this Universe is entering its final stages."
"But..."
Frieza's gaze turned toward the window.
Although he had taken this Universe, that feeling of boredom surged up again.
How lonely it is to be invincible.
'System.'
Frieza called out in his mind.
'Besides this Main Universe, is there anywhere else more interesting?'
'Playing these easy stomps gets really boring after a while.'
[Ding! Answering Host.]
The system's voice remained cold and mechanical.
[Detected higher-dimensional energy fluctuations beyond the Multiverse.]
[That place is known as the Omniverse.]
[There exist the Beyonder, Molecule Man, and even the true form of the Living Tribunal.]
[However...]
'However what?'
[With Host's current strength, forcibly intruding might attract the attention of the OAA.]
[It is suggested that Host first accumulate enough Fear Points to unlock the Diamond Form before conducting cross-dimensional strikes.]
'Tch, OAA again.'
Frieza curled his lip in annoyance.
That old man who draws comics is indeed a nuisance.