Axis stared at the golden orb of light in Cegorach's palm. He could feel the immense power contained within.
He had considered all sorts of rewards, but he never imagined the Laughing God would offer a soul fragment of Khaine, the God of War.
"You would actually use a fragment of the God of War as a bargaining chip?" Axis said, "On a Craftworld, this is considered an ultimate weapon."
"Because you are worth the investment," the Laughing God said, his tone uncharacteristically heavy, "The fragments of Khaine have circulated among the Craftworlds for millennia, yet no one has ever been able to truly awaken their power. They can only be used as weapons of war, and the resulting Avatars are a laughable mockery of his true might. But you, an existence capable of purifying the taint of Slaanesh, you may be the very heir the mantle of the God of War has been waiting for."
From what Cegorach knew, the young man before him was an unapologetic battle enthusiast who was pursuing godhood, or at the very least, divine power.
This was why he offered the fragment of Khaine…you had to cater to one's interests to win them over.
Axis was indeed intrigued by the soul fragment of Khaine.
He already possessed the energy of a God of Destruction, and to absorb it, he had to walk the path of godhood, transforming into a Super Saiyan God and then Super Saiyan Blue. This was the only viable path he could take, and his only hope of defeating the four Chaos Gods.
"What do you mean, the mantle of the God of War?" Axis asked, taking the golden orb from the Laughing God's hand.
"I mean it literally. Khaine was incredibly powerful, second only to the Phoenix King, Asuryan, in terms of combat strength. The Aeldari pantheon was formidable in its day; otherwise, the other three Chaos Gods would have destroyed us long before Slaanesh even came into being. Khorne has always coveted the power of the God of War, because in a sense, war is part of his divine portfolio as well.
"But Khaine understood this. He chose to shatter himself into countless fragments rather than let Khorne claim his complete divine essence, the sacred right of War. And you, Lord Axis, possess unimaginable potential. Your actions, your very interests and inclinations, are deeply connected to the domain of war. If this universe is to give birth to a second God of War, I believe it could be none other than you," Cegorach said.
To be honest, upon seeing Axis, he had even glimpsed the shadow of the once-mighty Khaine.
Their experiences were remarkably similar. The Emperor of Mankind was like Asuryan, and Axis was like the God of War for humanity.
Axis nodded and used his powerful psychic abilities to probe the fragment, searching for any lingering trace of self-awareness. He had the experience as he had dealt with Machine spirits.
While he coveted the God of War's power, he had no intention of becoming a vessel for another's resurrection.
One should not be malicious, but one must always be vigilant. Who knew if the Laughing God was plotting to use his body to resurrect the Aeldari deity? Then again, he recalled that Khaine's relationship with Cegorach, and indeed with the rest of the Aeldari pantheon, had not been particularly amicable.
After a careful and thorough examination, Axis found no trace of any consciousness within the fragment.
It seemed the thing was clean.
"Rest assured, Mister Axis, I have not tampered with this fragment in any way," the Laughing God said, "Are you familiar with the Primarchs? They are essentially powerful demigods forged by the Emperor of Mankind by fusing the soul fragments of ancient human gods. Khaine, on the other hand, is well and truly dead. He will not return."
Cegorach explained that Khaine's resurrection was impossible; he had effectively been dismembered.
His countless physical fragments were stored within the Craftworlds, and when needed, a young king was sacrificed to activate one, allowing the Avatar of Khaine to manifest.
"I understand. I accept this payment," Axis declared, "I dislike owing favors and I never take things for free. So, let's do this. I will help you purify one hundred Aeldari, one hundred who can attain true freedom.
"In fact, there is another way for your race to escape Slaanesh's soul-devouring curse. You could have these purified Aeldari propagate among themselves. If their descendants are also immune to this psychic drain, then once the older generation of Aeldari passes away and the new generation rises, your people will naturally be free of Slaanesh's control."
To Axis's surprise, upon hearing his words, the Laughing God burst into a fit of laughter, so hard he seemed to struggle for breath.
Even some of the surrounding Harlequins wore expressions of weary resignation.
"Hahaha! Mister Axis, you surely do not think this is some sort of hereditary disease? This is not a curse passed down through bloodlines. I will be immensely grateful for the one hundred souls you purify, but this will not solve the fundamental problem! It is not that their children will avoid a connection with Slaanesh.
"She Who Thirsts is bound to the entire Aeldari race. As long as one is an Aeldari, a link is forged with that monstrosity the very moment they are born," the Laughing God explained.
Why else would it be called an eternal torment? So long as you were an Aeldari, Slaanesh would have her hooks in you.
It was not as simple as purifying a hundred individuals and having their children be born free. Not unless they were born as something other than Aeldari. Otherwise, none could escape.
"Oh," Axis said, slowly making a slitting motion across his own throat, "So, to truly eradicate this curse, aside from my purification, there seems to be only one other option."
"Indeed! Just as you surmise, Lord Axis," said the Solitaire, Cassandra, who was standing nearby, "Only by slaying the monster our own race birthed can we finally break this curse. There is no other way."
Cegorach nodded in agreement.
The Aeldari people had two hopes.
The first was the coming of Ynnead, the God of the Dead. When the entire race was finally consumed by Slaanesh in one great feast, Ynnead would be born from within Slaanesh's belly, bursting forth to utterly destroy the Chaos God.
However, this potentially required the sacrifice of the entire Aeldari race, and there was no guarantee it wouldn't just create a new Chaos God in the process.
This led to the second option, the plan of the Laughing God: the ultimate jest. The details of which Axis didn't know much of, but he knew it had something to do with the curse itself.
Slaanesh would never allow the Aeldari to be completely annihilated, as it too feared the birth of Ynnead.
So long as the Aeldari endured, Ynnead would not awaken, and Slaanesh would not be killed. The prophecy would not be fulfilled, creating a perpetual stalemate.
But the appearance of Axis presented a third option.
A human God of War who would slay Slaanesh.
The rise of the human God of War Axis would bring death to Slaanesh, and the ultimate evil that plagued the Aeldari would be completely destroyed. The human race was also opposed to the four Chaos Gods; their people suffered at the hands of Chaos, and from all four of them at once.
"You don't need to tell me that. I was already planning on taking care of that thing. It's one of my targets," Axis said.
"Hahaha! Then I am reassured, Lord Axis! Since Cassandra wishes to follow you, let us make the change. Her skills are among the finest in any Harlequin troupe, second only to a Troupe Master.
"And now that she is free from Slaanesh's drain, she can unleash her full psychic potential. Having her by your side will prove immensely useful," Cegorach, the Great Harlequin, proposed.
If Axis's power had been unable to save the Solitaire, Cegorach would have assigned the previous Harlequin to him, treating Axis as a valuable but uncertain investment.
But since Axis could completely sever the connection between an Aeldari and Slaanesh, the situation was entirely different. Axis had transformed from a being worth investing in to the Aeldari's third, and perhaps greatest, hope.
"I don't care who follows me, as long as they can help me access the Webway," Axis said with a nod.
"Thank you for your trust, Lord Axis," Cassandra said, kneeling before him.
"Alright, all of you may leave for now. I wish to speak with Axis alone. You may return later," Cegorach said, waving his hand.
All the Harlequins departed, leaving only him and Axis in the vast, empty palace.
"Do you have some secret you wish to tell me?" Axis asked.
"Indeed. First, I must give you a word of caution. Never underestimate those four scoundrels. The power they wield is beyond your imagination. You must remain vigilant at all times," the Laughing God warned.
Though Axis's Ki possessed a high resistance to the energies of the Warp, and his soul, especially that holy golden angel's halo, radiated a powerful sacred aura. The bastards controlled entire domains of concepts. It was always better to be cautious.
"I will. I have never underestimated those four," Axis replied with a nod.
Though he might hold them in contempt in his words and attitude, he would never truly look down on the Chaos Gods.
They were, after all, at the pinnacle of power in the Warhammer universe. Underestimating them would be a mistake he couldn't afford to make.
"I am relieved to hear it. The Black Library holds records of the weaknesses of every Keeper of Secrets, every Bloodthirster, every Great Unclean One, and every Lord of Change. Should you need it, I will pass this knowledge to Cassandra. She can help you understand their vulnerabilities so you can better banish them," Cegorach offered. The Black Library was a great repository of knowledge, constantly updated and ever-expanding.
"I actually prefer a simpler, more direct approach. Just blast them to bits and be done with it," Axis said.
"Haha, you have a fine sense of humor!"
"It's not humor. I'm serious. I have no intention of fighting those Greater Daemons in any conventional way. I will crush them with absolute, overwhelming power." It was a confidence he felt deep in his core.
"Oh! Well, as you wish. That is your style," the Laughing God said with a helpless shrug.
Over the next few days, Cegorach gave Axis a grand tour of the Black Library. He had Cassandra and other Harlequins transcribe copies of numerous psychic grimoires for him.
These texts would be of great help to Axis, containing many rituals that could ward off the incursions of the Warp or specifically target its daemons.
Axis, in turn, used these three days to purify twelve Harlequins. He could cleanse four Aeldari in a single day, but they had to be exceptional members of their race to survive the process.
The Harlequins barely met this standard; any lesser Aeldari would have likely perished halfway through.
The remaining eighty-eight slots could be filled at any time by Harlequins sent by the Laughing God.
On the day of his departure, Cegorach presented Cassandra with a beautifully ornate, ancient Aeldari blade.
"Cassandra, this is a Blade forged by Vaul himself. It was one of the many weapons made for Khaine, a few of which I managed to collect.
"I now entrust one of them to you. Such a blade can effectively harm the daemons of the Warp. Consider it a gift," the Laughing God said.
"Great Laughing God, I will not fail you. I will use it to slay the daemons of Slaanesh and purge the taint of Chaos," Cassandra swore, kneeling on one knee as she accepted the weapon with both hands.
"I believe you will. And now, Lord Axis, I welcome you to visit the Black Library again in the future. My servant will guide you out. Oh, and by the way, our conversation is to remain confidential. Please remember to keep it to yourself," Cegorach said with a wink.
Axis nodded.
After a moment of thought, he retrieved three red fruits from his small starship and handed them to the Aeldari god.
"A gift for you. They are called Fruits of the Tree of Might, a specialty from my place. I believe you saw how they are grown. They increase one's life force. You may use it however you wish," Axis explained.
"Of course I know of them! I was quite startled when you planted that tree. This is a very fine thing indeed! However, I am a being of the Warp without a physical body. I wonder if I can even consume it," Cegorach mused.
"You could try. All things are composed of energy, and this fruit is merely a convergence of life energy.
"It would be best if you can eat it. If not, you can divide it among your Harlequins. Tell them to be careful when they consume it. The life force within is very potent," Axis advised.
The Great Harlequin's eyes lit up at his words. Axis was right; the fruit was composed of pure energy. In theory, it should be possible for him to absorb it.
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FUuuuuuuuuuu
I should be back on track now!