Kharn obeyed Axis's command unconditionally.
Even if the red liquid had been poison, he would have drunk it without a moment's hesitation. Besides, a warrior's intuition told him this was no such thing. His primarch was not that kind of man. Like him, his Father was a mighty warrior who possessed a warrior's honor.
As the red liquid went down, Kharn felt a surging life force well up from within.
The scars he had accumulated over long years of campaigning began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye.
More than that, this potent energy coursed through his body, violently augmenting his physique. It felt as if a boundless power was emerging from deep inside him.
"Aaaargh!" Kharn roared, a golden aura erupting around him as he felt a dual sensation.
One was the immense, tearing pain of his body being forcibly enhanced; the other was the warm, comforting feeling of life energy nourishing his very cells.
"Hold on!" Axis called out, "This is a special enhancement serum. Your brothers can only receive a five-milliliter dose, but I gave you a full fifty milliliters, ten times their amount! I did this because I believe you are a mighty warrior. Your will is unbreakable, and you have already shattered the limits of the golden transformation. I am confident you can obtain even greater power and become my strongest son."
Kharn's potential was truly remarkable.
As soon as he had become one of Axis's sons and undergone the mutation, he had managed to enhance the weakened version of the Super Saiyan transformation, shattering the five-times limit established by the Emperor.
That five-times limit was not unbreakable; it acted as a governor, for an ordinary human body could not withstand the full power of a Super Saiyan.
The S-cells were a wondrous thing. So long as one possessed a sufficiently resolute will to grow stronger and worked towards it, the S-cells would bring about miracles. This was the true power of the Saiyans.
In every respect, the warriors of the XII Legion perfectly matched the Saiyan temperament, and Kharn was the finest example among them.
The XII Legion still had many top-tier warriors, and Axis eagerly anticipated the combat prowess his Legion would one day possess.
Kharn gritted his teeth, his body trembling as he knelt in agony. "I will grow stronger. I will not fail you, my lord Father."
He could not let his Primarch down; he had to successfully master this new strength.
Kharn continued to endure, absorbing the power of the juice from the Tree of Might.
While the dose was ten times that of his brothers, it was not yet enough to prove fatal.
A little over ten minutes later, Kharn's body stopped shaking. He had completely and thoroughly assimilated the immense power.
Getting to his feet, he clenched his fists and felt a sense of disbelief.
His physical attributes had improved at least tenfold. If he unleashed the golden transformation now, his power would reach a truly terrifying level.
He even felt that in his normal state, he could probably defeat a member of the Adeptus Custodes, perhaps even two.
A slow, deliberate applause broke the silence.
Axis clapped his hands in satisfaction, a slight smile on his face as he gave Kharn a thumbs-up.
The warrior's performance had greatly exceeded his expectations. He had actually managed to withstand the full potency of the fruit from the Tree of Might, perfectly integrating its life force to strengthen his own body.
"Excellent, Kharn," Axis said, "Truly worthy of being the warrior I chose. Your brothers could never have withstood such a dose."
"Thank you for your trust, Lord Father," Kharn replied, "It was your trust, and the strength of your gene-seed, that allowed me to endure this enhancement."
"I will dilute this serum and distribute it to all the warriors of the Legion. Once their enhancement is complete, I will hold a tournament. The victor will become my Legion's Vice-Commander. Do you have what it takes to claim that position?" Axis asked.
"Lord Axis, I will defeat all of my brothers," Kharn declared, dropping to one knee with a look of pure determination, "I will prove to them that I am your mightiest son, worthy of the Golden Father and the golden transformation!"
"Hahaha! To be honest, I too hope for a powerful opponent, someone who can challenge me. Unfortunately, not even the Custodes can satisfy my desire for a real fight, which I find quite frustrating," Axis looked at his son with a predatory glint in his eye.
"Strive to grow stronger, Kharn. Next, I will use the power of ki to enhance your body further. When your strength reaches a new level, I will augment you again. I hope that one day you will become a worthy sparring partner for me."
"To be your sparring partner? To fight with you? It would be my greatest honor," Kharn said with conviction.
"Your enhancement has just completed. Return to your quarters and rest. We will begin our formal training tomorrow," Axis instructed.
Kharn nodded, stood, and gave a deep bow to his primarch before respectfully exiting the chamber.
Only after Kharn had departed did Kasha emerge from an adjacent room where she had been observing.
"That was incredible," she said, "To think he could absorb a tenfold dose!" She was impressed that Axis had been able to identify such a remarkable talent among his sons.
"What's even more impressive is that he broke the limit of the golden transformation, pushing its power to a six-times multiplier. That is a rare feat indeed," Axis said proudly.
"How strange," Kasha mused, "Logically, your gene-seed should have a hard limit of a five-times transformation. It was designed as a constraint. Does that mean, he can one day reach the fifty-times level?"
When the Emperor and Malcador had studied Axis's gene-seed, they had intentionally weakened it.
The human body was simply incapable of withstanding the full, untamed power of Axis's cells. A transformation multiplier that was too high would cause a Space Marine's cells to disintegrate.
"My S-cells are a miraculous thing," Axis explained, "If your potential is great enough, they will reward you for it. It's impossible for him to reach my fifty-times multiplier, but through training and sheer effort, I believe his absolute limit could be ten times."
The most amazing property of S-cells was their ability to replicate.
With diligent training and a stable mind, the number of S-cells in the body would increase, naturally allowing for more powerful transformations.
They were cells that could make miracles happen.
However, the human body still had its limits.
It was not like the Saiyans, a race with seemingly no upper ceiling. A tenfold increase was likely Kharn's ultimate peak.
But then again, who knew? Perhaps Kharn could offer him an even greater surprise in the future.
"Does that mean that any genius who emerges from your Legion, one with a true warrior's spirit and a dedication to training, can break the five-times limit?" Kasha asked, her eyebrows raised.
"In theory, yes," Axis confirmed, "But you won't find more than three such geniuses in an entire Legion. Let's just hope I get lucky."
In terms of overall combat prowess, the strongest warrior in the Legion was currently Mader.
His psychic abilities were devastating to ordinary Space Marines, but the transformation he could manifest was limited to a five-times multiplier, and even that he could not sustain for long.
For the average Astarte, a transformation of two or three times their base strength was more than enough for most combat situations.
"I am sure that even greater geniuses will emerge from among your sons," Kasha said confidently, "They will all fight for you, their Primarch."
Axis nodded with a smug grin.
He thought of them as weakened versions of half-blood Saiyans.
If they mastered the power of ki, they might, really might even be able to unleash a genuine Super Saiyan transformation, a full fifty-times enhancement.
The next morning, having rested for a full day, Kharn arrived early and waited outside Axis's chambers. When Axis and Kasha awoke, they found him already kneeling at their door.
Axis had to stop himself from reacting with surprise.
He wondered if Kharn had been eavesdropping all night, but quickly dismissed the thought. The soundproofing of his quarters was flawless.
"I wish you a glorious morning, my Lord Father."
"Um, yes. How long have you been here?" Axis asked, "You do not need to come so early next time."
"I would not dare be negligent of my Lord Father's command," Kharn replied., "I came to wait as soon as I opened my eyes this morning."
"..."
…
"Come with me, Kharn." After dressing, Axis led Kharn, along with twenty other warriors who had also been enhanced with the juice from the Tree of Might, to one of the training cages.
"Your training task is simple," Axis announced once they had assembled, "First, I will use ki to strengthen you. After that will be the combat phase. The twenty of you will fight against Kharn."
A stunned silence fell over the group. The new recruits said nothing, but the veterans could not hide their indignation.
"Lord Father," asked a warrior who had served with Axis in the Space Wolves Legion, "Do you mean... all of us against Kharn, at once?"
"Yes," Axis confirmed, "Kharn is incredibly powerful. If all twenty of you attack together, you might stand a slight chance of victory."
"My Lord Father, with all due respect, I object!" a veteran stepped forward, "We have followed you for over thirty years. This one has been with us for less than six months. On what grounds is he stronger than us?"
"On the grounds that I am the strongest," Kharn declared, stepping forward with his head held high, "I am the most powerful warrior in this entire Legion. The Legion's First."
"What did you say?" an old warrior spat, "The Legion's First! Is that a title you gave yourself?" All ten veterans in the group now stared at Kharn with open anger.
"You know the rules. If you have any objection, then go and fight him," Axis said coolly, "If any of you can defeat Kharn in single combat, he will have to retract his words. In the Golden Legion, we speak with strength." Axis intended to instill the Saiyan creed of revering strength in his new Legion.
Might made right.
"By all means, come at me with everything you've got," Kharn said, striding into the center of the training cage.
He beckoned to his ten senior battle-brothers with courtesy. The ten newer recruits silently moved to the side, knowing they had no place in this dispute.
"Captain Odoro, teach him a harsh lesson," one of the veterans said.
Odoro Nightwane was Axis's former equerry and, since the Legion's founding, had served as the Captain of the First Company. In the hearts of the old guard, he was unquestionably the strongest among them.
Axis seated himself, watching the unfolding drama with great interest.
He wanted his sons to fight and compete amongst themselves. They needed to fight, and fight fiercely. It was the true nature of a Saiyan.
Kharn stood in the center of the training cage, the fires of battle burning in his golden eyes. He surveyed his brothers surrounding him and a confident smirk touched his lips.
"Captain, please," Kharn said, giving the respected veteran a warrior's salute.
His tone, however, was filled with an unshakeable arrogance.
Axis wonderd if Kharn has always been like this. Did his Saiyan gene affect the man that much? Maybe this arrogance was the result of him breaking his limiter?
On the training ground, Odoro snorted and shrugged off the his power armor, revealing powerful, sculpted muscles. As one of the first veterans to receive the ki enhancement, his physique was second to none in the Legion.
"Boy, do not think Lord Father's favor gives you the right to do as you please," Odoro said, rolling his shoulders, "Allow me to teach you the meaning of respect for your elders."
The words had barely left his lips before Odoro lunged.
His speed was so great that several of the recruits let out gasps of shock. His fist tore through the air, aimed directly at Kharn's face.
Yet Kharn simply tilted his head to the side, effortlessly avoiding the blow.
Odoro's pupils contracted. He had not even seen Kharn move.
"Too slow," Kharn's voice whispered beside Odoro's ear.
An instant later, a brutal elbow strike slammed into Odoro's back, driving him face-first into the deck. The training cage floor cratered under the impact.
Odoro struggled to his feet, a look of pure disbelief on his face.
"What the?!" the watching veterans exclaimed.
Captain Odoro, the strongest among them, had been defeated in a single blow.
"Shall we continue, Captain?" Kharn asked, his voice calm.
Odoro's face turned into a mask of fury.
With a deafening roar, his muscles swelled and a golden aura of ki erupted from his body as he activated his golden transformation to its absolute limit.
Five-times power!
Odoro's voice became a low, guttural growl "Transform, let us see who is stronger!"
"Come," Kharn simply said.
Your limit is five times, he thought. But my start is six. And even that is not my limit. I am the First Warrior of this Legion.
The instant Odoro charged again, a dazzling golden light burst from Kharn's own body. His aura was brighter, more intense, and more ferocious than Odoro's.
"Six-times? Six-times Transformation!"
When the two fonts of golden energy collided, the entire training cage shook violently. The spectating warriors had to shield their eyes from the blinding glare.
When the light finally subsided, they all drew a sharp breath.
Kharn was holding Captain Odoro by the neck with one hand, lifting him high into the air.
Odoro's own golden transformation had been brutally snuffed out, and his body now hung limp and powerless.
"I… yield," Odoro managed to choke out.