Axis's words exploded through the ranks of the Golden Legion like a thunderclap, his voice reaching the ears of every warrior.
Khârn shot to his feet, swinging his power axe down to smash it against the ground. The ferrocrete floor instantly fractured under the impact.
"Shame! The traitors must pay for their crime in blood! The Sons of Axis will destroy the Word Bearers, for the great father!"
He had always found it strange.
Why would Warmaster Horus dispatch Lorgar's Word Bearers Legion to support them? Did the Golden Legion truly require aid? Not at all.
Even with their main forces deployed elsewhere, they still had over one hundred thousand Astartes garrisoned here. These one hundred and thirty thousand warriors of the Golden Legion were easily a match for two full-strength Imperial Legions. When they unleashed their Golden Transformations, they could shatter a third.
With his current strength, Khârn himself could manifest a Golden Transformation that far surpassed that of an ordinary golden legion astarte. Their Father had been absent for a full century, and Khârn had not spent that time idle.
He had relentlessly pushed himself beyond his limits. Now, at his peak, he could unleash a Golden Transformation of the tenth multiple. In this enhanced state, he was confident he could trade more than a dozen blows with even Primarchs of the highest caliber, like Sanguinius or the Lion, Lion El'Jonson.
As for Lorgar, he was widely known as the weakest of the Primarchs. Their father would not even need to intervene. Khârn himself could deliver a thrashing to the whelp.
After all this time, it turned out they were coming to fight them.
If they had been caught unaware, a surprise attack might have inflicted some damage. But now they had been forewarned. The Golden Legion needed only to prepare, and for every Word Bearer that came, one would die.
"For the Golden father!"
One hundred and thirty thousand Space Marines roared in unison. A tide of golden psychic energy erupted into the sky, transforming the entire capital plaza into a blazing sun. The scene was breathtaking in its sheer scale and magnificence.
Axis nodded in deep satisfaction.
He raised a hand, and his own golden aura surged, expanding as he flew across the sky like a god.
In a matter of minutes, Axis completed a full circuit of his planet, ensuring that his image was clearly visible over all the great cities of Nuceria.
He had announced the return of the Golden Legion's master, the King of Gold, and the entire world erupted in joyous celebration.
Having done this, Axis summoned his company Captains to the Primarch's great reception hall.
"Mighty father, this was once your residence," Khârn said, kneeling with the other Captains before him, "We have treated it as a sacred place, preserving it exactly as you left it, awaiting your return."
The palace where Axis had once lived had been carefully guarded by the Golden Legion.
None were permitted to set foot in this holy ground where their father had dwelt.
"Many of you are new faces," Axis observed, his gaze sweeping over them. With his powerful senses, he could perceive the potential within each of his sons, "I can feel that all of you can push your Golden Transformation past the fifth multiple, some even to the sixth or seventh. But the strongest is still you, Khârn. You can now achieve a state of the tenth multiple."
The Golden Legion was vast, so the emergence of a few prodigies was to be expected. Without exception, these Captains could all manifest a transformation of at least the sixth multiple, having shattered the limits of their gene-seed.
And the most powerful of them, Khârn, had already reached the tenth multiple. This was the absolute limit Axis had envisioned as possible for those implanted with his gene-seed. Any further breakthrough should have been impossible.
But if Khârn were to consume a whole Fruit of the Tree of Might, not only would his lifespan extend into the millennia, but his physical body would also break its natural constraints, allowing him to achieve an even higher level of transformation.
"Great Father, the rank of Captain is now only open to those who can manifest a Golden Transformation of the sixth multiple or higher," Khârn explained, he and the other Captains remaining on one knee. "In all these years, I have never forgotten your teachings. I have striven to improve my strength and push beyond every limit."
The Golden Legion now had a strict hierarchy.
The minimum standard for a neophyte was to manifest a twofold Golden Transformation. To become a full-fledged Battle-Brother of the Legion required at least a threefold multiple, while the baseline for a veteran was fivefold.
To hold the rank of Captain, one had to command a transformation of at least the sixth multiple and possess combat power far exceeding that of an ordinary Battle-Brother.
Khârn had thoroughly implemented Axis's philosophy within the Golden Legion: strength above all. Only the strong could hold positions of command.
"You have done well," Axis said, "And now, I have rewards for you. I will make you even stronger."
With that, Axis produced several hundred Fruits of the Tree of Might, placing them before his assembled Captains.
"Father, you wish for us to consume more of the fruit?" one of the Captains asked.
A century ago, Axis had provided enough of the fruits for the entire Legion. He had them pulped into juice, diluted, and distributed among all his warriors, which had significantly increased their combat effectiveness.
Over the last hundred years, however, many of those veterans had fallen in battle, some even finding their new life within the shell of a Dreadnought. A large portion of the Astartes present were new soldiers who had never been enhanced by the juice.
"That is correct," Axis confirmed, "A brutal war awaits you. A betrayal, more cruel than you can possibly imagine. The fighting strength of the entire Legion must be increased. It is not just this body-enhancing juice that I have brought. I have prepared other things for you as well, such as these teleportation bracers, and this powerful new sniper rifle."
Solus Prime had already delivered a massive cargo of the bracers and rifles. Axis planned to select a special cadre from his Legion to serve as marksmen, eliminating high-value targets on the battlefield.
"We thank you for your gifts, Father," another Captain declared, "But please, have faith in your sons. Even without these new weapons and the enhancement from the Tree of Might fruit, we can defeat any enemy who dares to challenge us."
The fighting prowess of the Golden Legion was the greatest among all the Space Marine Legions, without question. Defeating the Word Bearers would be no difficult task for them.
"Hahaha! If better weapons are available, why not use them?" Axis laughed, "But I approve of your confidence. It is a good thing. In that case, I will remain here at the command post for the duration of this war. Can you bring me victory?"
"Great Father, we pledge to you that we will achieve a glorious victory," Khârn proclaimed, "I will personally take to the field to challenge the Primarch Lorgar. I will defeat the traitor, take his head, and present it to you, our magnificent Father."
"Hahaha! Excellent, excellent! Very ambitious!" Axis was greatly pleased, "If you do this, then I make you a promise in turn. Should you defeat Lorgar, I will reward you with a whole Fruit of the Tree of Might, and you will fight by my side for all time."
"I will not disappoint you, Father!" Khârn declared, his voice ringing with conviction. "I will stake my life and the honour of being a Son of Gold on this vow. I will defeat Lorgar, the betrayer of the Imperium!"
"We shall not fail the Blood of Gold!" the other Captains roared as one.
Axis nodded and immediately ordered his Legion's Apothecaries to pulp all the fruits, dilute the extract with water, and prepare enough doses for every Space Marine present.
Soon after, Axis gathered his sons. A bowl of crimson liquid was placed before each warrior.
"Drink, my warriors!" Axis commanded, "It will allow you to surpass your limits! It will grant you power beyond measure! In the war to come, you will shine with a golden light that will illuminate the darkness."
"For the great Father!" Every member of the Legion cheered, raising the red juice and draining their bowls in a single motion.
A powerful life force surged through their bodies, healing old, nagging injuries from the long years of the Great Crusade and strengthening their flesh.
Many veterans who could already manifest a fivefold transformation felt their power break through its previous ceiling, rising to the sixth multiple under the influence of the potent elixir.
Axis watched all of this with great satisfaction.
Once the enhancement was complete, Axis produced one hundred and thirty thousand teleportation bracers and distributed them to his warriors, allowing them time to familiarize themselves with the device's capabilities.
He then selected three hundred of his most skilled marksmen and issued each of them one of the special sniper rifles.
After all these preparations were complete, Axis returned to his chambers to await Lorgar's arrival.
"Tell me of my son," Axis said later, "I have already thought of a name for him. He will be called Kratos. Can you contact him now?"
"Great Father," Khârn replied, "about a year ago, my brother Kratos received orders from Warmaster Horus. He was commanded to join Guilliman in fighting the enemies of the Imperium on the Eastern Fringe. He has yet to return."
"I see. No matter," Axis said, "After I have dealt with Lorgar, I will set out to find him. I look forward to meeting this son of mine."
"Father, Brother Kratos will not disappoint you," Khârn said with certainty, "As a youth, his strength already surpassed my own, and he could also perform the Golden Transformation! The perfect Golden Transformation, inherited from you. Kratos could unleash a fifty-fold power enhancement when he was only five or six years old."
Though they were all his father's sons, Khârn knew that Kratos was of his father's true blood.
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ps?