After careful thought, Kasha decided to give her full support to her man. If it were anyone else wanting to become a god in the Warp, Kasha would have absolutely opposed it.
This was because, despite the disagreements between her mother and father, they were completely united on one thing:
The Warp, with the existence of the Chaos Gods, was a place was filled with all sorts of extreme negativity.
There was only an incredibly slim chance, almost negligible, that a benevolent Warp god could ever be born.
But Axis was different. His Ki naturally possessed the power to resist the corrupting forces of the Warp.
And that golden ring within his soul had an even greater purifying effect!
"I won't let down your trust, Kasha. This is the only chance for us to defeat the four Chaos Gods," Axis said.
"You need to watch out for the energy of the Warp, as you know, it's aligned with negativity. You must find a way to suppress those feelings.
"Stay true to yourself. Don't become a creature obsessed with nothing but slaughter and destruction, or you'll end up just another of the fifth Chaos God," Kasha warned.
"I understand!" Axis replied.
Kasha's words weren't entirely accurate, but her meaning was clear.
The Chaos Gods of the Warp were certainly evil.
But was there really a universal way to define good and evil in the universe?
What was good for one species might be evil for another.
Take humanity, for example!
In the eyes of other galactic species, there were already five Chaos Gods in this universe, and one of them led his people in waging war across the stars.
His evil was hardly any less than that of the four Chaos Gods in the Warp.
Just look at the countless Xenos races humanity had wiped out during the Great Crusade!
The biggest flaws in Saiyan character were their cruelty, bloodlust, anger, and arrogance!
Axis had already tried his best to restrain these traits.
His rage, his wanton destruction, had never once been unleashed upon humanity, they had always been directed at the Xenos.
"Get some rest. Don't worry about preaching or other matters for now.
"What you need to do is win this war, and win it spectacularly.
"Become the key figure and build up your own reputation. If you are to become what you described, then you need to seize every opportunity," Kasha nodded, pecking Axis on the lips and leaning on his chest.
The Emperor had sent Axis to deal with the Rangda for two likely reasons, judging by what Kasha knew of her father.
First, it was to let the other Primarchs recognise Axis. Lion El'Jonson was the best candidate for that, the one most likely to accept Axis' power.
Jaghatai Khan was much the same, and there was no need to even mention Russ!
Moreover, the Second Primarch was rescued by Axis himself and was very close to him.
If the senior Primarchs accepted Axis, the others, even if they had their doubts, wouldn't openly object.
That way, when the Imperium needed to deploy Axis as a top-level asset, all the Primarchs would understand exactly how to use his power.
The second reason was Axis' own unique status.
He wasn't created by the Emperor, but rather modified.
If the issue of Axis' gene-progeny could be resolved on Holy Terra, so that his sons could become normal Astartes, then the Emperor would officially recognize Axis as a Primarch.
He would also widely publicize the feats Axis achieved in the Rangda Xenocide, as well as those in the Great Crusade.
Axis would formally become one of the Empire's Cream of the crop!
But if Axis couldn't solve the problems of his son and Legion, then the most likely outcome was that the Emperor would continue to keep him in the shadows.
He would become a living weapon for the Primarchs!
Just like herself, always hidden in the dark, never appearing before the masses. If that happened, Axis could never become humanity's God of War.
So forming his own Legion and becoming a new generation Primarch was absolutely crucial.
She had already discussed this matter with Axis, and he was completely confident he could handle it.
Now was the time to take the gamble, and the groundwork needed for it had to be done.
...
A few days earlier, in a star system several light-years away from Axis and his group, Jaghatai Khan was leading the White Scars Fifth Legion in a fierce battle against the Rangda.
Although this Rangda fleet wasn't as massive as the one Axis and his companions had faced, it was still a formidable armada with hundreds of warships.
The White Scars Legion found themselves locked in brutal combat, with both sides unleashing devastating firepower across the void.
In the first exchange alone, dozens of ships were destroyed.
The White Scars' Space Marines launched boarding actions, storming the Rangda ships and clashing violently with these monstrous mix of xenos.
At first, the battle was evenly matched.
In fact, the humans were at a slight disadvantage, but then,
Just one day ago, the Rangda fleet had suddenly retreated from the system.
They left so hastily that they abandoned several newly-built outposts without a second thought.
This left the White Scars utterly perplexed.
The fighting had been intense, but they hadn't been winning. At several points, they had even been pushed back by the xenos!
Jaghatai Khan himself thought it might be an enemy ruse, so he hadn't ordered a pursuit during the withdrawal.
Only afterwards did he confirm that the Rangda had indeed abandoned their offensive in this star system.
"Khan! What do you think those xenos are up to? Why did they retreat so suddenly?" one of the White Scars Khans (Khan here means company captain) asked.
"It doesn't look like a trick, they seemed to leave in a real hurry," another Khan commented.
"I also found it strange. At first, I thought it was some kind of elaborate scheme. But the trap was far too obvious, so I didn't give the order to pursue," Jaghatai Khan replied.
He had only been back in the Imperium for a little over a decade, but long before that, he had survived countless wars among the tribal clans in his home planet.
His sense for battlefield timing was razor-sharp.
For the enemy to suddenly retreat, especially when they still held a slight advantage, was highly unusual.
Unless something had gone wrong behind their lines!
And it had to be something truly serious, bad enough that their front-line forces had no choice but to pull out.
"But overall, it's a good thing. We've successfully defended this system. The Imperial worlds here won't fall to xenos invasion," Jaghatai Khan said.
The many Khans of the White Scars nodded in agreement with their Primarch's judgment.
"You all go and take care of your teams.
"I'll contact Lion and Russ, their sides are probably facing even fiercer attacks," said Jaghatai Khan.
Or their side could be the source of the unusual development, Jaghatai Khan though to himself.
Soon, the ship's astropath sent out a message. At the beginning of this campaign, Jaghatai Khan had been able to stay in constant contact with Lion and Russ's fleets.
But for some reason, a minor Warp storm had swept through the area a few days before the battle, cutting off all psychic communications nearby.
It was only yesterday, when the enemy retreated, that communications began to return.
The psyker responsible for maintaining contact blinked twice, his expression turning utterly shocked.
As if he had received unbelievable news!
"Jaghatai Khan! I've just made psychic contact with Lion El'Jonson and Leman Russ. The Rangda xenos fleet they faced has been completely destroyed," the psyker reported.
"What did you say?" Jaghatai Khan could barely believe his ears, suspecting he'd misheard.
The Rangda hadn't simply retreated, they had been annihilated!
How was that possible?
While Lion's side was the main force, they'd been facing the core strength of the xenos.
By his estimate, this war should have dragged on for years, perhaps more than a decade, before there could be any resolution.
And it would be a brutal conflict.
A dozen nearby star systems had already been turned into industrial worlds to fuel the war effort.
And now, suddenly, he was being told that the enemy's main fleet had been completely wiped out?
"Khan, I've triple-checked it. That enemy fleet was wiped out about five days ago!
"It was the destruction of that xenos fleet that triggered the minor Warp storm, which forced us to suspend psychic communications and Warp travel. Now everything's returning to normal," the psyker explained.
"Ask Lion El'Jonson and Leman Russ if they used some secret weapon.
"How did they manage to destroy the enemy fleet so quickly? Or was it the Warp storm that wiped them out?" Jaghatai Khan pressed.
Lion's First Legion was almost the Emperor's most trusted Space Marine force.
Even before the Primarchs returned, they had led the Great Crusade as the Imperium's spearhead, wielding its most advanced weaponry.
But what kind of advanced weapon could destroy a star fleet numbering in the thousands?
So Jaghatai Khan considered another possibility: maybe the Rangda had simply been unlucky enough to run into that devastating Warp storm, which wiped them out.
The psyker nodded, then sent out another psychic message. After a moment, he turned to Jaghatai Khan again.
"Khan! It wasn't the Warp storm that destroyed the enemy fleet.
"Lion El'Jonson and Leman Russ did use a secret weapon, it was what annihilated the xenos fleet and triggered that minor Warp storm."
Jaghatai Khan remained composed, but his heart was in disbelief. He didn't say a word.
He didn't even ask for details about the battle.
"Pass along my message to Lion El'Jonson and Leman Russ: I'll make sure our supply lines remain secure, and ensure the front lines have plenty of ammunition. Tell them they can focus on fighting without worry," Jaghatai Khan said.
Since it was a secret weapon, he knew better than to pry.
For this war, all he had to do was handle his own responsibilities.
...
"Lord Lion, Jaghatai Khan says he'll secure the supply lines, so you and your men can fight at the front with peace of mind," the psyker aboard the Invincible Reason reported.
"I understand," Lion El'Jonson nodded.
It was best not to ask too many questions about Imperial secrets, though the Emperor did want Jaghatai Khan to eventually learn the truth about Axis.
But Axis's power was simply unbelievable without seeing it in person, if word spread, Jaghatai Khan might think it was all a joke!
For now, this was fine.
Lion was looking forward to Jaghatai Khan seeing Axis in person. The expression on his brother face should be something worth remembering.
"How are the other battlefronts?" Lion asked.
This war wasn't limited to just two fronts.
It was just that these two happened to face the heaviest fighting, there were at least a dozen Imperial worlds in various star systems under attack by the xenos at any given moment.
"Lord Lion, there are currently nine worlds fighting the Rangda!
"Four worlds have lost contact, and the xenos have retreated from two worlds," the man reported.
"Notify the fleet, we'll split into three groups. The three Gloriana-class battleships will each go to support the worlds under attack," Lion commanded.
The nine worlds still holding out could manage with some reinforcements.
But the four that had lost contact had likely already fallen, and had to be dealt with immediately.
After quickly reviewing the battle reports, Lion issued his orders.
"Notify Axis. He and his Gloriana-class battleship will reinforce the Twin stars system. Russ and I will each support one of the other two," Lion said.
The Twin stars system contained both a hive world and an agri-world, both Imperial, located in the same star system.
That sector would be Axis's responsibility.
With Axis's combat strength, once he reached the battlefield, he could probably end the fighting in a day.
The only thing slowing them down was travel time, as wherever Axis arrived, the xenos were doomed.
The orders were relayed at once, and the main fleet immediately split into three groups: one led by Lion, one by Russ, and the last by Axis.
Each would head to support a different Imperial world under attack by the Rangda xenos.
The White Scars also dispatched some of their forces as reinforcements.
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Unfortunately, we didn't reach 1200 ps for the bonus chapter!
We still have more than 600 daily readers. Even if only half of you donated one powerstones a day, that's 2100 ps in a week. that is, I'll have to upload 10 bonus chapters every week! that's more then one a day!
You guys can do it! come on!! throw it babay!!!!