The fruit of the Tree of Might was exceptionally delicious. It was incomparably sweet, and a single bite filled the air with a rich, fragrant aroma.
Juicing the fruit seemed like a promising idea.
While Axis could use his ki to strengthen his gene-sons, the process was tedious, whether he performed it himself or used the Saibamen.
In a single day, outside of eating and sleeping, Axis could enhance a few hundred warriors at most.
Furthermore, to achieve a significant enhancement of twenty to thirty percent, the process had to be repeated continuously for over a month.
The Saibamen were even less efficient; their enhancement speed was far slower than his own, and the results were significantly weaker.
If this juice from the Tree of Might could be used on his sons, it would be the perfect solution.
From a single fruit, Axis extracted approximately 500ml of juice. He had already added 500ml of water, but he felt the concentration was still too high.
He diluted it further with another 500ml of water. With the juice from one fruit now diluted to a tenth of its original strength, it should be perfectly safe for a Space Marine to consume.
As for ordinary mortals, Axis planned to return to Nuceria and test the juice on the gladiators there. The physical conditioning of the Nucerian gladiators was far superior to that of a common human, making them ideal test subjects.
Axis currently possessed over 500 fruits from the Tree of Might, along with four black, inferior seeds.
He intended to plant these seeds after some time. Even if they grew into substandard trees, their fruit could still be used to enhance his mortal troops and his own gene-sons.
After eight and a half days of travel through the Warp, Axis's ship reappeared in the skies above Nuceria.
Including the time spent planting the Tree of Might and the return journey, he had been away for a total of twenty-one days.
He ordered the Solus Prime to engage its cloaking field in orbit and begin analyzing the FTL drive, combat suits, and energy weapons they had acquired.
Carrying a sniper rifle, the harvested fruit, and the prepared juice, Axis returned to the Legion headquarters, which was still under construction.
During his absence, adepts from the Mechanicum had begun to arrive, commencing the transformation of Nuceria.
Kasha had also commanded Axis's Legion to suppress the various factions across the planet.
Upon his return, Axis, accompanied by Kasha, made an appearance before all his sons. After delivering a speech, he retired to his private chambers.
"You're back just in time, Axis," Kasha said, "So, what things did you bring back? It looks like there's quite a lot."
"Something special. Take a look at this," Axis replied, handing her a red fruit from the Tree of Might.
"Is this some kind of fruit?" Kasha looked at the red object in her hand, a little speechless, "You were gone for more than twenty days, and all you brought back was some fruits?"
She was baffled.
Could this fruit really be the special thing Axis had mentioned? No matter how delicious it might be, it seemed to have little practical use.
"This is a treasure," Axis explained, "Its name is the Fruit of the Tree of Might, or the Fruit of the Gods. It is a delicacy worthy only of gods."
"The Fruit of the Gods?" Kasha asked, her expression turning skeptical, "Axis, you didn't get this from the Warp, did you? But it has no taint of Warp energy on it!"
In their universe, the only things associated with 'gods' were the entities of the Warp and the C'tan, neither of which were benevolent.
Still, the aroma of the fruit was undeniably pleasant. Just by inhaling its scent, Kasha felt a jolt.
The fatigue from managing the planet's affairs over the past weeks vanished, replaced by a feeling of profound clarity and revitalization.
"It's not the kind of god you're thinking of; that's just a name," Axis clarified, "This fruit contains immense life energy. If an ordinary mortal could survive eating it, they could easily live for hundreds of years. Go on, take a bite."
Hearing this, Kasha dubiously raised the red fruit and took a small bite.
The tender flesh melted in her mouth, its texture absolutely divine. The fruit was incredibly delicious, and the moment she swallowed, a vast wave of life energy swept through her entire being.
Kasha felt her whole body tremble as a terrifying surge of life essence cleansed her from within, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort and pleasure. The sensation was simply sublime.
Kasha slowly opened her eyes.
She felt power coursing through her. Her physical strength had at least doubled. Her body had already been enhanced by Axis's ki for decades, making her far superior to a Space Marine.
Now, Kasha estimated her physical prowess was comparable to that of a Custodian. No, that wasn't right. She should be stronger.
"What an amazing fruit! Axis, where did you get this? How many do you have? Is this the only one?" Kasha asked, her face alight with excitement.
It was too powerful.
This red fruit possessed such a terrifying effect. Axis was right. If a mortal could eat this and digest its power, the effects should be incredible.
However, that was only a theory. The life essence contained within the fruit was immense. She had only taken a single bite and experienced such a dramatic change.
Kasha wasn't even sure her body could withstand the energy of the entire fruit. This item was undeniably potent, but only if one could absorb its power.
"I grew this fruit this time. It's something I brought from my homeland," Axis said, "As for the rest of this one, you should eat a small piece each day. You should finish it in about a week. When you do, your physical abilities should reach the level of a Primarch!"
"The level of a Primarch?" Kasha asked, her eyes wide, "Are you saying that after I finish this, I can reach the physical pwress of a primarch? That I can have my own Astartes Legion?"
Just one bite had elevated her physical might so much. Consuming the entire thing would, in theory, make her body nearly as powerful as a Primarch's.
Could her own genes be used to create female Space Marines?
"What does phsysical strength have to do with being a real primarch?," Axis asked, "Relax women! The fruit is powerful, and it can indeed raise your physical attributes to the level of a Primarch. But you are not a Primarch. Don't even think about having an Astartes Legion."
While Kasha could be enhanced, she could not become a true Primarch.
Her genetics could not be used to create Astartes. Her genes were not engineered for that purpose; she merely possessed the Emperor's bloodline. The Astartes, after all, were a crude replication of a Primarch's genetic template. Her body was being enhanced, not fundamentally re-engineered.
"Oh," Kasha said, she was just a little too excited.
"Don't be disappointed! I harvested over 500 of these fruits this time. I'm planning to dilute them and distribute the juice to my Legion.
"Here, look at this,." Axis took out a bottle of red liquid and explained his plan to Kasha.
Kasha laughed. "Hahaha! Juicing it and adding water… that's such a ridiculous method, but I'd expect you to do that. Still, I suppose it is the efficient way to do it!"
Axis nodded and summoned ten veterans from his Golden Legion.
These warriors had all been members of the Space Wolves before receiving his gene-seed.
They had also been enhanced with his ki, making their bodies thirty to forty percent stronger than a typical Space Marine.
He also brought in ten new recruits. These were standard Marines, whose only advantage over other astrates being the ability to use the "Golden Transformation" and superior base strength.
After gathering the men, Axis produced twenty cups and poured about 5ml of the red liquid into each one.
"This is a new type of enhancement agent, taken orally," Axis explained.
He wanted to first test the effects of a 5ml dose. If it was effective, then a single fruit could be used to physically enhance three hundred of his sons.
"Yes, my Lord father!" The ten Golden Legion warriors saluted Axis, then picked up the cups and drank the red liquid in one gulp.
After consuming the liquid, the bodies of the ten veterans immediately underwent a drastic change.
They felt a current of life energy flow through them, which began to strengthen their bodies.
Their muscles swelled visibly, and veins bulged across their bodies.
"This feels incredible," one of them said, "My physical abilities have increased significantly. I feel I am now two and a half times stronger than a standard Space Marine."
"He is right," added another company Captain, "The enhancement is around two-fold."
"Good. Now it's your turn," Axis said, nodding in satisfaction as he addressed the ten new recruits.
The ten new recruits also saluted Axis before drinking their dose of the juice.
Their reaction was similar to that of the veterans, though the enhancement was not quite as pronounced since they had not undergone Axis's ki reinforcement.
Nevertheless, the effect was only slightly less. The new recruits experienced a two-fold increase in strength, while the ki-enhanced veterans had received a two-and-a-half-fold boost. For both groups, the effects of their Golden Transformation were now significantly amplified.
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