Kharn nodded, laying Odoro gently on the ground.
He then turned to face the nine remaining veterans, while several recruits rushed forward to carry the fallen captain to the side.
"Now do you understand why Lord father said twenty of you were needed?" Kharn asked, his voice brimming with confidence, "Are you going to attack together?"
The nine veterans exchanged glances, the defiant flames of warrior pride burning in their eyes. One of them suddenly roared, "Brothers, together! For the glory of the Golden Legion!"
There was no need for further words.
It was time to fight.
Nine flares of golden light erupted simultaneously as the veterans all activated their Golden Transformation.
They surged toward Kharn from every direction.
Kharn grinned. "Now this is more like it! Come, my Brothers!!"
The battle that followed was nothing short of a golden tempest.
Kharn's form weaved effortlessly through the assault of the nine transformed warriors. With every strike he made, another veteran was felled.
His movements were as swift as lightning, leaving behind faint afterimages, and his strength was so astonishing that the super-alloy floor began to crack and splinter under the force of their combat.
His presence was like a phantom amidst the siege, each blow landing with the force of a thunderclap, swift and unstoppable.
With a great laugh, Kharn suddenly sidestepped and shot his right fist out like a cannonball, smashing it directly into the chest of the first veteran to charge him.
The warrior let out a choked grunt as his golden aura instantly dissipated. He was sent flying backward, slamming hard against the wall of the training cage.
A second veteran launched a surprise attack from the side, his fist wreathed in golden energy as he aimed for Kharn's temple.
Without even turning his head, Kharn's left hand shot out like a bolt of lightning, seizing the man's wrist.
With a powerful twist, he swung the veteran's entire body around and hurled him into a third approaching warrior. The two men collided and went tumbling, rolling for more than a dozen meters.
The remaining veterans roared in fury, lunging at him from all sides at once.
A brilliant gleam intensified in Kharn's eyes.
He ducked low, avoiding their combined charge, and swept his right leg out in a powerful arc. The floor plates buckled with a tremendous crash, and the resulting shockwave sent three of the veterans stumbling backward.
Immediately after, Kharn leaped into the air.
His fists rained down like meteors, each impact producing a heavy, sickening thud. He drove two more veterans straight into the floor, rendering them unable to fight.
The final two veterans looked at one another, then unleashed their full power in a coordinated pincer attack.
A smirk played on Kharn's lips.
He made no move to dodge, instead crossing his arms to block both of their heavy punches. A thunderous boom echoed as a shockwave of energy exploded outward. The floor beneath Kharn's feet instantly collapsed, yet his frame did not move a single inch.
"Good, but not enough!" Kharn's arms flexed with explosive power, sending the two veterans reeling back.
At that moment, only one thought dominated the minds of the veterans. What kind of monster is this? How can the gap in power be so immense?
Kharn closed the distance in an instant.
He drove a knee into one man's abdomen while simultaneously delivering a reverse elbow strike to the other's shoulder. Both warriors collapsed to their knees, their Golden Transformations forcibly dispelled.
Nine veterans, all defeated.
Kharn stood in the center of the training cage, the golden aura around him slowly receding. He scanned his fallen opponents and asked, "Who else?"
The nine veterans lay scattered across the floor.
Though all were injured, their eyes were filled with an expression of incredible, respectful awe.
The strength of the warrior before them was far beyond anything they could have imagined. No wonder the Gene-father held him in such high regard.
Leaving aside all else, the level of transformation he had achieved, a state that surpassed their own limits, was something they could not hope to match. It was well known that the limit for a legionary of the Golden Legion's transformation was a five-fold increase in power, and even that placed an extreme physical burden on the user. Yet this warrior had somehow managed to achieve a six-fold amplification.
This multiplicative difference in strength was immense. So vast, in fact, that even if all nine of them had attacked at once, or if Captain Odoro had been uninjured and fought alongside them, they likely still would not have stood a chance.
Just then, the ten recruits who had been observing the fight stepped forward, their faces alight with excitement as they looked at Kharn.
Their eyes burned with a fervent desire for battle. One of them took a step forward and said in a deep voice, "Lord Kharn, we ask for your instruction!"
Merely watching the bout had set their blood on fire.
Possessing the gene-seed of Axis, the legionaries of the Golden Legion carried within them the bellicose and thrill-seeking traits of the Saiyan bloodline.
This was the kind of impassioned, fist-to-flesh combat they truly yearned for.
"You wish to challenge me as well?" Kharn's gaze fell upon the recruits, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.
This was the true spirit of the XII Legion, of the Golden Legion. This was the only way to fight.
Sitting to the side, Axis began to applaud.
He gave the recruits a gesture of approval, signaling for them to proceed together. It was a unique pleasure to watch his sons fight, even if they were all still novices.
The ten recruits nodded in unison.
They too had been granted their father's gift of an enhancement serum, and their strength was far greater than that of an ordinary Brother.
This spectacle of combat had set their very blood on fire.
Kharn raised an eyebrow and then let out a booming laugh.
Lacking the power of the Golden Transformation, the ten recruits charged Kharn almost as one.
It was a contest of pure, brutal force. There were no elaborate techniques, only the percussive impact of warrior against warrior.
One recruit threw a punch aimed squarely at Kharn's face. Kharn tilted his head slightly to evade it and answered with a counter-punch to the man's chest, though he deliberately held back some of his strength.
The recruit grunted and staggered back, but he gritted his teeth and immediately charged forward again.
Another recruit attacked from the side, sweeping a powerful whip-kick toward Kharn's waist. Kharn blocked with one hand while his other seized the warrior's ankle. With a great heave, he threw the man clean across the training cage.
Fists, elbows, knees, and shoulders... Kharn's movements flowed like water, almost flawless in their execution.
Every strike was precise, yet he carefully controlled his power so as not to inflict serious injury. He was being merciful with these new legionaries, not using his full might.
He noted, however, that the strength of these recruits was truly extraordinary. Had he not been remade by Axis' gene-seed and granted the enhancement serum, his own power metrics would only have been roughly on par with theirs. And they could crush him with their transformation.
These men were far stronger than the average Space Marine.
The recruits attacked in relentless waves. Even when struck down, they would immediately climb to their feet and charge back into the fray.
"Excellent!" Kharn grew more invigorated as the fight raged on.
His fists whistled through the air, each blow carrying immense pressure, yet he always left them an opening, as if guiding them in the art of battle.
Finally, all ten recruits lay on the floor, gasping for breath.
Though their bodies ached, their eyes shone with exhilaration. They had been defeated, but they had fought to the very last. The sensation was incredible; the raw feeling of such a battle was enough to make one's blood sing.
"You have done well," Kharn declared, standing in their midst. His voice boomed through the chamber.
The quality of this new batch of recruits was impressive.
The Golden Legion possessed potential far exceeding that of other Space Marine Legions, especially with their unique ability of the Golden Transformation.
"Thank you for your instruction, Lord Kharn," the ten recruits said in unison, helping one another to their feet.
At that moment, Axis rose from his observation seat and walked forward, applauding. "A magnificent battle, Kharn. You displayed not only power but also restraint. The bearing of a true veteran."
Axis was pleased.
Kharn had fought well, earning the respect of everyone present.
It was fitting for the one man who could have potentially managed Angron. In the original timeline, the Butcher's Nails had shackled Kharn's true potential.
Without them, Axis mused, Kharn's legend would have rivaled that of Sigismund himself.
Kharn knelt on one knee. "It is all thanks to your gifts, Lord father."
"No. This is a result of your own talent and hard work," Axis said, moving to the center of the training cage.
He helped Kharn to his feet and then turned to the other warriors. "You have all witnessed it. This is the power that comes from shattering the limits of the Golden Transformation. Kharn has done it, and so can you. I expect every one of you to strive for it."
The veterans and recruits supported each other as they stood.
Odoro took a step forward and offered Kharn a solemn legionary's salute. "I apologize for my earlier arrogance, brother.
"Your strength is truly worthy of the title First of the Golden Legion'."
The outcome of this day's combat had left him utterly convinced.
He had once believed himself to be the strongest in the Legion, but he never imagined this newcomer could possess such might.
Then again, this warrior's years of service far exceeded his own. Though he had served theAxis during his time with the Space Wolves, the man before him was a veteran of the Great Crusade who had fought alongside the Emperor himself.
There was no shame in losing to such a warrior.
Kharn returned the salute. "Grow stronger, my Brother! For our Father! For the Golden Legion! For humanity! And for the Emperor!"
Axis watched the scene with satisfaction. "From this day forward, Kharn will serve as my personal sparring partner. As for the rest of you," Axis's gaze swept across every warrior present as he raised his voice, "you will all take Kharn as your benchmark. You will constantly strive to break your own limits. Remember! Our purpose in the XII Legion is to endlessly surpass ourselves, to shatter our limits and become stronger. That is your goal."
"For Humanity!!" they roared as one.
Axis nodded. "Excellent. Now, all of you, report to the medical bay and see the Legion's Apothecaries. Tomorrow, we begin a new phase of special training. Kharn, you will remain."
After the others had departed, Axis placed a hand on Kharn's shoulder. "You performed exceptionally well today. But it is not yet enough."
Kharn looked up in surprise. "Lord father?"
"I can sense it. Your potential is far greater than this. From now on, I will train you myself, until you are able to—"
"—make you fight with your full power?" Kharn asked, his face alight with excitement.
Axis broke into hearty laughter. "No. Until you can withstand ten of my blows."
Unleash my full power? Ah sure, Axis thought. If you can withstand ten of my blows in my resting state, that in itself would be an incredible feat.
"Grow stronger, Kharn. Make it your goal to take ten of my blows without falling."
Kharn was silent.
Ten blows. His lord father only expected him to survive ten blows.
Just how powerful was his primarch?