"What an astonishing species. Perhaps he really could lead humanity back to that age of prosperity, perhaps even beyond," said the Laughing God, Cegorach.
Lately, humanity had grown ever more dominant, waging constant wars across the void, reclaiming lost worlds, and even expanding to greater territories.
The Iron Men Rebellion thousands of years ago, and the warp storm triggered centuries later by the birth of that monstrous entity, had dealt devastating blows to the nascent Imperium of Man.
He had once thought humanity was finished, just another fleeting high civilization in the galaxy, destined to vanish.
But who could have foreseen that this golden giant would step forward, rallying the entire human species under his banner?
And in contrast, the Aeldari… a pitiful remnant, clinging to life in the webway city of Commorragh, tormenting others to harvest soul energy and stave off the predations of that monster.
Others had taken to the craftworlds, forging the Paths and relying on spirit stones to resist She Who Thirsts. Still more had simply reverted to primitive barbarism, unleashing their wild nature in full.
The Aeldari had truly fallen into decline, while humanity still had a chance to rise.
And now, a second golden giant had appeared. If these two joined forces, he dared not imagine what would happen.
Once, that first golden giant could already face those four fools head-on. Now, with another one in play, there would surely be great entertainment ahead.
"Heh… this is not a bad thing. At least with humanity standing in front, drawing the monsters' attention, the Aeldari might have more time to recover.
"I wonder if that power of his could sever the Aeldari's soul-link to that monster. Perhaps it's worth a try," Cegorach murmured to himself.
For the Aeldari, the greatest unsolved problem was the soul-drain of She Who Thirsts. Without spirit stone protection or strict ascetic discipline, their souls would be consumed swiftly upon entering realspace.
But this youth's energy tha was a direct bane to the powers of the warp. Perhaps the key to saving the Aeldari lay with him.
Fortunately, during the battle between the two, Cegorach had used his divine power to seal the surrounding space, aided by the Emperor's own wards.
That was the only reason the others had not witnessed the fight.
Otherwise, things could have turned bad.
People said the Aeldari had birthed the most terrible Chaos God, She Who Thirsts. But were the entities born of humanity any less dangerous?
Two towering giants wreathed in golden light were more not any less terrifying.
One was steeped in darkness, cold, and despair, intent on exterminating every species in the galaxy except humanity.
The other radiated destruction and battle, not war as men understood it, but pure, unadulterated combat.
That one would surely appeal to the Blood God upon the Brass Throne.
'You really should thank your kindly uncle jester.
'If not for the jester's intervention, you would already have been noticed by Khorne, perhaps even marked by the other three.'
A ripple appeared beside Cegorach, and several figures emerged—clad in motley vests and fool's garb.
"Great Harlequin, the Dark Eldar ask whether something has happened here. They sensed violent energy fluctuations, and all of Commorragh trembled," one of the Harlequins reported.
"It's nothing, child. Just a few individuals engaging in a friendly contest of flesh and flesh. Nothing serious. It's all over now," Cegorach replied with narrowed eyes.
He would keep their secret for now, and see whether this ki could truly resolve the curse.
"Yes, Great Harlequin," the Harlequin said, kneeling.
Since the Aeldari's fall into depravity, some among them had placed their faith in the Laughing God, trusting that his final jest would end She Who Thirsts.
"I have a new mission for you. You will infiltrate… understand?" Cegorach's eyes narrowed.
He needed to find a way to contact this newly born golden giant.
That ki of his was extraordinary, it was no mere psychic power, but a manifestation of some strange force in realspace, akin to life yet steeped in destruction.
Reaching the smaller golden giant under the watchful eye of the larger would be difficult, but Cegorach trusted his followers to succeed.
"Understood, Great Harlequin. The Masque serves you forever," the Harlequin said, still kneeling.
"Proceed in secret. Above all, ensure he bears no hostility toward you."
With a strange laugh, Cegorach departed the ruins and returned to his Black Library. He still had to clean up after those two reckless troublemakers.
The Emperor smiled on his way back.
…
The Emperor had returned with Axis and the others to the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra, sealing the webway gate once more.
Only when the gate was fully closed did the Emperor breathe a sigh of relief.
The fight with Axis had indeed been a bit dangerous.
It had been a moment of impulse, without much thought for the consequences.
Now, in hindsight, he felt a lingering dread, had the Chaos Gods learned of it, the situation could have been disastrous. However, his insurance had arrived and acted in time.
Otherwise, the Empeor would've simply calmed Axis mind before he could unleash his full might, and would've left before things escalated.
Unless he kept Axis hidden in the Imperial Palace forever, the four bastards would eventually notice him.
It was merely a matter of time.
Axis could not remain in one place forever, nor could the imperium afford to hide Axis' power.
He had once feared Axis might be tricked or assassinated. Now, there was no need for such worries, Axis's strength was enough to match his own.
And with his ki's ability to counter the warp, it would be difficult for the Four to win him over.
Moreover, the Emperor had long instructed Kasha to instill in Axis a deep understanding of the horrors of Chaos.
"Valdor, what happened today is the highest secret of the Imperium. You are not to speak of it to anyone. Do you understand?" the Emperor said, turning to Valdor.
Valdor, after the recent battle, held a deep hostility toward Axis.
If left unaddressed, that hostility could easily spread to the entire Custodes.
That was something the Emperor did not wish to see. Axis was a vital asset for humanity's future.
"I understand, my lord. Today, I was on duty in the Palace the entire time and never left," Valdor said, kneeling on one knee.
Though he greatly disliked Axis, resenting him even, if this was the Emperor's order, he would obey.
For the Custodes, the Emperor's commands ranked above all else, even the Imperium itself.
The Adeptus Custodes did not serve the Imperium, they served the Emperor personally.
Satisfied, the Emperor nodded, then ordered several Custodians to prepare an abundance of food for Axis to recover his strength.
Everything that had happened here today would be placed under a seal of absolute secrecy.
No one would know what had truly occurred.
For extra precaution, the Emperor even used his psychic power to erase certain memories from some of the Custodians.
In the end, only Lion El'Jonson, Captain-General Valdor, his daughter Kasha, and Axis would retain knowledge of the day's events.
Soon, cart after cart of food was delivered into the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra.
Axis immediately began devouring it, every bite converted into energy.
Once the Emperor had finished handling the Custodes and securing the Palace, he approached Axis.
By now, Axis had been eating for an entire day and night. His injuries were nearly gone, and he was full of vitality again.
In fact, the Emperor faintly sensed that Axis's strength had somehow surpassed what it had been yesterday.
"Axis, has your strength increased greatly since yesterday? I can clearly feel it," the Emperor asked, sitting beside him.
"That's right. We Saiyans are a warrior race by birth, everything about us exists for battle. Every time we come back from the brink of death, our combat power multiplies. We grow stronger the more we fight, even evolving in the middle of battle," Axis explained.
It was the first time he had truly made use of this Saiyan passive ability, and the increase in his power was enormous.
Even so, he had no confidence against the Emperor's 100% form. That transformation was simply different in nature, and one strike was all it would take to destroy him.
Only after facing the Emperor in battle could one understand just how terrifying the man was.
Until he had the strength to instantly overpower the Emperor's 100%, Axis would not dare challenge him again.
To be safe, perhaps Super Saiyan 3 would be the minimum… maybe even Super Saiyan 4 to be certain.
"Your genetics is simply something else. Unfortunately, your ki cannot be replicated or passed down to your offspring," the Emperor said with a sigh.
Even if Axis and Kasha married and had children, those children would not inherit his ki. But with both Axis's bloodline and his own combined, the potential would be immense.
In the Emperor's estimation, such a child might rival a Primarch in potential. He greatly anticipated the birth of his true grandchild.
"You've been together nearly thirty years now. Why hasn't Kasha gotten pregnant?" the Emperor asked.
Axis choked on his food at the question. Damn it, old man!
How could he just ask something like that so bluntly?
Kasha, standing beside him, handed him a cup of water with a resigned look.
"Father, please consider our feelings before asking questions like that. We're not young anymore, but we still take certain precautions," Kasha said.
Aside from the occasional time during her safe period, they always used protective measures.
Otherwise, after so many decades, unless one of them had a problem, their child would have been born long ago.
Kasha had no intention of having a child who would be forced to live in hiding. Only after Axis gained the title of Primarch and she regained her identity as Imperial Princess would she bear a child.
"I understand. From today onward, stop using any protection. Have a child as soon as possible. In a few months, I will announce your true identity to the Imperium," the Emperor said.
"Yes, Father," Kasha replied happily.
"And Axis, we must also find a solution for your gene-progeny. When I fought you earlier, I thought of a method, but I'd like to hear yours first," the Emperor continued.
"It's simple, actually. Do my progeny have tails?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"..." Axis was grateful the emperor hadn't went on a xenocide, "Then, we just have to remove the tail so they can't transform into Great Apes.
"As for the lifespan, from all the descxripting I've heard, I assume it's because of the lack of Ki in their genes to complete their modification. I'd just have give them a enough ki before their gene-seed template is installed, enough to complete their transformation. That should solve the issue," Axis replied after wiping his mouth.
The matter of perfect gene-seed had likely already been reported to the Emperor by Lion El'Jonson.
But the cultivation of saibamen remained unknown to him. Lion was a dependable brother and kept that to himself.
"My approach is different. The last time I extracted form you the material for your gene-seeds, it was after your modifications were complete.
"This time, I want to re-extract it, but not in your normal state. You must transform into that golden-haired form, not the gold-green berserk one, but the standard golden state.
"Then, you must fill your body with a calm life filled Ki, instead of the violent, destructive Ki. If I extract the material for your gene-seed in that state, the results could be extraordinary," the Emperor explained.
Axis's Super Saiyan form was stable and, he needed both rational control and a calm heart on top of that.
In that state, special S-cells would permeate his entire body. Extracting cells at that moment could yield an entirely new form of cellular tissue.
The resulting gene-seed might allow his gene-progeny to tap into his transformation, but to what extend remained to be seen.
By his estimation, it would not grant the full fiftyfold power increase, nor the ki amplification, as they can't produce Ki to begin with, but boosting their combat power by four or five times should be possible.
The emperor explained.
"You're telling me you want my gene-progeny to be able to go Super Saiyan?" Axis said in mild astonishment.
The old man really dared to dream.
"Exactly. I am more than eighty percent certain this will work," the Emperor said confidently.
This time, he was certain. His psychic foresight told him the attempt would succeed.
..
..
..
You give me powerstones and I'll give you bonus chapters. This right here is a fair deal if I've ever seen one.