After more than twenty years of training, Axis had reached the point where, using his psychic powers, he could now partially project his own soul outside his body.
Projecting his soul in this way greatly amplified his psychic abilities.
Under the influence of Axis's powers, the green Saibaman's soul was intercepted and did not enter the Warp.
Axis knew better than anyone what fate awaited a soul entering the Warp; it was no paradise, hell would be a more fitting description.
The Warp was nothing more than a cesspit; souls that entered were either devoured by daemons or became prey for other, even more terrifying entities.
This particular Saibaman's soul had been nurtured by Ki for over twenty-six years and had grown incredibly strong.
Though not as powerful as a few others, its soul was far superior to that of a typical psyker.
If a soul this strong entered the Warp it won't just become the wrap, it would linger and retain it's identity for a short period. It would be like a feast invitation for the daemons, shining like a beacon and attracting countless predators.
Once inside, it would be overwhelmed and devoured in short order, perhaps even becoming nourishment for a Greater Daemon.
What's more, by devouring souls, powerful daemons could gain fragments of the memories belonging to real, living beings in the material universe.
If the Saibaman's soul were consumed, many of Axis's secrets could be exposed.
No matter what, he could not allow the first Saibaman's soul to be consigned to the Warp.
"Axis, every soul is destined to become part of the Warp. There's no way for souls to remain long in the material universe," Kasha said helplessly.
It was a bitter reality.
Souls simply could not linger in the real universe, all living things eventually ended up in the Warp.
As life in the universe continued to die, the Warp only grew stronger, constantly fueled by the endless influx.
"But just because it wasn't possible before doesn't mean it's impossible now. Don't forget about the cheat code I carry called Ki," Axis said with a smile.
Ki from the Dragon Ball world had a remarkable strengthening effect on warhammer souls.
Though these Saibamen were born in the Warhammer universe and lacked angelic halos, Dragon Ball Ki allowed them to become incarnate, too.
Now, after more than twenty years, plus the help of Axis's Super Saiyan Ki, letting one linger in the real world with a physical body was no longer as difficult.
Axis's golden-green Ki enveloped the Saibaman's soul, steadily pouring more and more energy into it.
His Super Saiyan Ki seemed inexhaustible, and thanks to his modifications, Axis could keep this up for months without tiring.
"Let me help! He's my brother as well!" Thor, the other sibaman created using Russ's genes, stepped forward, using his own Ki to assist Axis in energizing his brother's soul.
As waves of energy flooded into the flickering green soul, the process continued for hours.
After over a dozen hours of being nourished by the Ki, the once-ethereal soul began to solidify.
The sould molded itself into bones, muscles, skin. Everything reformed under the molding power of Ki.
Finally, an entity possessing both a soul and a body, able to exist in the real universe, appeared.
Once the soul had been fully materialized, this green Saibaman's appearance changed as well.
His height increased to nearly 1.8 meters. His limbs became longer and more proportional; though he still looked like a Saibaman, he now seemed much stronger and more balanced, nothing like a common grunt.
"M-Master! I—I have a body again! I… I can feel my heartbeat.
But wait, am I still dead? But I can feel, I can smell, it doesn't seem all that different from being alive!" The Saibaman spoke in surprise, clearly confused about his state.
He couldn't tell whether he was alive or dead.
As a Saibaman, he had already lived out his entire lifespan.
By staying by his master's side, he had even lived twice as long as any other of his kind, twenty-six years before reaching the end of his life.
He never imagined he could be reborn, and in the form of a soul, no less!
"Master, I feel no different from when I was alive.
"I can sense my body, but it's clear this body is formed from my soul," the Saibaman said.
It was a surreal sensation, he didn't even know how to describe it.
"How is this possible? Are you fckin kidding me?" Kasha stared at the tall green creature in disbelief, this was simply too outrageous, utterly beyond reason!
She had watched as its life ended, and then saw it turn into a giant tree bearing fruit. Yet now, that same being was reborn in soul-form in the material universe.
It defied all logic, even psychic logic.
Not even her father's psychic powers could pull off something like this!
The Four Ruinous Powers of Chaos, perhaps, could do it.
The four Chaos Gods had the power to resurrect the dead outright.
Their powers were fearsome beyond belief, but even so, she never thought Axis's Ki could achieve something like this!
"Don't underestimate the power of Ki. His soul was nourished by it for twenty-six years, plus mine and Thor's.
"That allowed him to materialise a physical body. Even if he's technically dead, he can keep his body indefinitely. I guess he's no longer bound by a the concept of lifespan?" Axis explained, a bit puzzled himself.
That was the terror of the Dragon Ball world. Ordinary souls there, just like in this world, were little more than wisps of white mist, without substance.
But those with enough strength could preserve their physical forms, whether good or evil, as long as their power was great enough.
They could keep their bodies in the afterlife, not as a special privilege, but as a benefit of training in Ki.
Kasha approached stiffly and reached out to touch the green Saibaman's body. The sensation was undeniably real, she could even feel warmth radiating from him.
"This can't be. Axis, maybe he never actually died.
"Maybe Saibamen can be reborn in some other way. I just can't accept this soul…made…flesh idea!" Kasha protested.
How could a soul have warmth? How could a body made from a soul feel exactly like a living body?
"That's simply how it is, Kasha!
"The power of Ki is just that miraculous. Even if it looks like something out of fantasy, it's all happening right before your eyes.
"Are you saying you don't trust your own senses?" Axis replied with a light laugh.
"It's not that I refuse to believe it, Axis. But do you understand what this means?" Kasha took a deep breath.
This was the power to break the boundary between life and death.
It was something no one in the material universe had ever achieved, except for the four Chaos Gods. Even her father, the Emperor—who in her eyes could do anything—wasn't capable of this.
Death was death!
It was inevitable and irreversible. But did this mean that, in the future, Axis could use Ki to call back the souls of the dead?
"It's not as simple as you think.
"The only reason this Saibaman could be brought back is because he already possessed Ki and had been nourished by it for twenty-six years. His soul was already very strong and special. I merely helped with my own Ki," Axis explained.
This Saibaman's resurrection, and the fact that he had a materialized soul-body, was only possible because he'd spent twenty-six years building a solid foundation in Ki.
If Axis tried to use Ki to bring a random dead soul back and give them a body in the real universe, he simply couldn't do it.
For example, if Kasha herself were to fall and die at this very moment, Axis would be powerless to help her soul return.
Even though he had spent over twenty years strengthening Kasha's body and soul with Ki, there was a fundamental difference from a soul that had trained in Ki itself.
Only then did Kasha calm down.
Hearing this explanation, she could finally accept it.
The power of Ki was simply astonishing!
"That I can accept. If your Ki could really bring any dead creature back to life, that would be terrifying," Kasha said.
Breaking the boundary between life and death was something only the most powerful beings in their understanding could manage.
Even the gods of the Eldar race, back in their day, may not have wielded such power.
Axis merely smiled at her words and didn't respond.
He might not be able to do it now, but who was to say he couldn't in the future?
His Ki was still growing ever stronger.
If ordinary Ki couldn't do it, what about divine God Ki?
Can a Super Saiyan God do it? Or even the God of Destruction! The God of Humanity, or the God of War!
"Let's give you a name proper name! Today is your day of rebirth. Do you want to choose your own name, or shall I name you?" Axis looked at the newly revived Saibaman.
"Great Master, please grant me a name! I hope I can follow you again, and this time, I wish to fight for you," the first Saibaman said respectfully, it had it's own grievance for being treated as a tool to nurture those pesky humans.
"Very well! From this day forward, your name will be Phoenix. It stands for rebirth from the flames, rising anew from destruction," Axis declared after a moment's thought. He looked proud at his naming sense, and Kasha just pursed her lips.
He named him for the immortal phoenix!
"I thank the Master for the bottom of my soul!" Phoenix knelt on one knee before Axis.
Phoenix was a fitting name.
After being strengthened by Ki for more than twenty years, and from the fact that he was born in the warhammer universe, his soul could now draw power from the Warp itself.
Using his psychic abilities, he could even wield fire and lightning as easily as any other power.
"Congratulations, brother Phoenix." The other Saibaman, Thor, patted Phoenix on the shoulder.
Phoenix represented the purest form of the Saibaman, untainted by added genes.
All the other Saibamen born after him had been modified with vast amounts of human genes; in many ways, they weren't even Saibamen anymore.
The two Saibamen nodded to each other and embraced.
"He still doesn't look fit to go outside," Kasha observed.
Although his height had grown from just over 1.4 meters to nearly 1.8 meters, Phoenix's appearance was still that of a Saibaman, a completely green alien creature.
"That's all right, Lady Kasha. I'm used to living in a box, and I'm happy to remain hidden now," Phoenix answered without hesitation, fully accepting his place. What grievance, he had potentially infinite life to now live out.
Kasha looked at Axis, and he looked a bit awkward.
"Maybe someday I'll find a way to change even the form of your soul. For now, just stay hidden aboard the ship," Axis said.
"Yes, Master!"
"All right, let's see if these new seeds can grow more Saibamen!" With Phoenix's affairs settled, Axis turned his attention to the new Saibaman seeds, these were ones cultivated in this universe.
He took out a seed and buried it in the black soil, then poured on some nutrient solution. This time, he didn't use his Ki to stimulate it.
The Saibaman seed absorbed the nutrients, suddenly twitched, and quickly sprouted roots and leaves.
Unlike the original Dragon Ball world's Saibaman seeds, these could germinate and grow without any stimulation from Axis's Ki.
In less than a minute, a new green Saibaman, just over 1.4 meters tall, climbed out of the soil.
"Ah! Wah!" The green little monster looked around, then spotted Phoenix and immediately toddled over to him, wearing an expression of affection.
To its senses, this man was its father—or maybe its mother.
"Master! I feel a strong connection to this little one, it's almost like the bond i feel toward you. I can sense that he is my offspring," Phoenix said.
"Of course he is. He came from your seed, after all. But it looks like there's no Ki inside him," Axis noted.
This newly hatched Saibaman had no trace of Ki in its body. It was just a pure plant-based lifeform.
Without the amplification of Ki, its combat strength was only about one-twentieth that of a normal Saibaman.
Just 60 points or so.
It could easily overpower an ordinary human, but against an Astartes, it was no match.
An Astartes, even without armor, would be about as strong, and once you added in their superhuman organs, power armor, boltguns, chainswords, and power weapons, a Saibaman didn't stand a chance.
"Master, could you try stimulating my seed with your Ki? Maybe that could do something," Phoenix requested.
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GUYS!!!!! were short of 130 ps for the bonus chapter!!! you can do it come on!!!!