Could one's destiny truly be controlled by oneself? The Emperor gave a bitter smile.
What a confident and proud declaration. Yet, he was not surprised to hear such words come from Axis.
Although Axis had been missing for a century, the flow of time in the Warp was different. His true age was not even two hundred years.
He was still incredibly young.
The Emperor recalled having a similar impulsive nature in his own youth. Even at twenty or thirty thousand years old, he had believed his destiny was his to command.
In those days, his spirits had been high. He had defeated one of the most powerful C'tan Shards, the Void Dragon, and sealed it within the Noctis Labyrinth on Mars.
During humanity's Golden Age, he had joined the Men of Gold and even entered the Warp, where he deceived the Four Chaos Gods themselves. He obtained forbidden knowledge from their grasp, successfully capturing enough material to create the Primarchs, and even managed to betray the Ruinous Powers in the process.
But the cruel reality had taught him that destiny was sometimes truly beyond one's control. Could an ordinary citizen of the Imperium, for example, truly master his own fate?
Even he, the Master of Mankind, was being toyed with by destiny.
The Dark King was free to advance his agenda completely beyond the Emperor's sight. More recently, the Emperor had felt a profound sense of powerlessness, sensing that the Dark King's plan was nearing its conclusion.
Even though Axis had altered certain aspects of fate, the Emperor remained trapped upon the Golden Throne.
The Webway Project would fail the moment he left it. He and Magnus not only had to repair the Webway but also had to channel their psychic power to erect formidable barriers against the daemons of the Warp. At the same time, they had to fuel the Astronomican to illuminate the void.
It was an exhausting, ceaseless task.
Now, the souls of a thousand psykers were burned every day to sustain him. Behind it all, a hidden mastermind pulled the strings.
The Emperor suspected that this Chaos Space Marine from another parallel universe was a warning to him from the Dark King.
The Dark King could awaken whenever he willed it and could intervene in the materium at any moment.
This Chaos Space Marine, who had traveled from ten thousand years in the future of a parallel timeline, was not here to deal with Axis. He was here as a warning to the Emperor.
"I understand, Axis. Thank you for your encouragement," the Emperor said with a smile, but his voice was laced with a trace of sorrow.
"Emperor, when my strength has grown enough, I will defeat the Dark King. I will prove to you that so-called destiny can, in fact, be broken," Axis declared.
Saiyans had never believed in fate. They had not in the past, and they would not now.
"You are quite confident, Axis. However, growing strong enough to defeat the Dark King will be extremely difficult. You must possess power sufficient to rival a god," the Emperor replied.
Only by becoming a being of an equal level could one hope to face the Chaos Gods of the Warp and challenge the Dark King.
Axis was indeed powerful now, but it was far from enough. They were not even on the same level.
The words were spoken without particular intent, but they struck a chord with one who listened.
Magnus turned his head to look at the Emperor. If his own apotheosis Plan could be completed, he too could help his father.
He too could shatter this so-called destiny.
"Father! Axis and I have actually been working on a secret plan. If it succeeds, I cannot guarantee that I can defeat the Four Chaos Gods, but it will at least elevate my power significantly, allowing me to better assist you. If my other brothers are willing to use my method, they too will be able to achieve a great increase in strength. This would be a great boon for the entire Imperium!" Magnus explained.
"What plan? Is there another way to enhance the power of a Primarch?" the Emperor asked, intrigued.
He had crafted the bodies of the Primarchs from his own genetic blueprint, combined with that of the Eldar and humanity's most advanced genetic enhancement techniques. Physically, they were the strongest humans conceivable.
"It is the Fruit of the Tree of Might, Father! The fruit Axis possesses can increase a Primarch's power," Magnus said.
"But there are limits. It only increases your life energy. While it certainly enhances your physical attributes, it does not create a qualitative change," the Emperor noted, shaking his head.
"No, Father! It is not what you think. I am talking about an apotheosis. By using the Fruit of the Tree of Might from Axis to strengthen my soul and body simultaneously, I can make them perfectly match. I can obtain a physical form that can serve as a divine vessel and achieve a true, qualitative mutation," Magnus revealed, explaining his apotheosis in full to the Emperor.
The Emperor's expression changed upon hearing this.
The Primarchs were nascent gods of the Warp, forged from the fused soul-shards of all the deities born from humanity since ancient times.
They were indeed gods of the Immaterium, their standing not much less than that of the Aeldari pantheon. However, even with the Emperor's best methods, the Primarchs' physical bodies were still inadequate. And because their souls were a patchwork of others, they were not whole beings like the gods they came from.
But according to what Magnus was describing, the plan had a very high chance of success. Magnus's power would increase exponentially. By the Emperor's estimate, he might become second only to the Four Chaos Gods, and he would be able to walk freely in both the materium and the Immaterium.
The power he could exert would far surpass that of other Warp entities, which typically needed to choose mortal champions to interfere with the physical universe.
Even a being as terrifying as the Dark King needed the Emperor himself as a vessel to walk in reality.
"This idea is certainly unconventional, but its feasibility is very high. How many Fruits of the Tree of Might do you need to complete this plan?" the Emperor asked.
"Father! I need eight more. After that, I will need the most crucial step. Axis must use his ki to strengthen both my body and soul, allowing me to complete the final mutation and merge them into one," Magnus said.
The Emperor nodded.
Eight fruits meant sacrificing eight planets. The Imperium of Man could absolutely afford it. Even twice that, or ten times that was a cost the Imperium could bear.
"We can proceed with this plan. Axis, I will send you the coordinates of eight planets. I will have Malcador select them. They will all be worlds that have already pledged allegiance to Horus and have been corrupted by the powers of Chaos. After we win this war, these planets would be scheduled for Exterminatus anyway. It is better that you use them to grow your Tree of Mights," the Emperor said.
The homeworlds of the traitor Primarchs were slated for destruction, as were any worlds confirmed to have turned traitor. The number was likely far greater than just eight.
"A single planet can produce at least a few hundred Fruits of the Tree of Might. If we are lucky and the planet's life force is strong enough, the quality of the fruit will also improve," Axis replied.
He was also very interested in Magnus's apotheosis. For now, the only other candidates who met the criteria were Leman Russ, the Great Angel Sanguinius, and Lion El'Jonson. The other Primarchs had consumed the fruit, but their bodies and souls had not been reinforced with ki, so they did not yet qualify.
Moreover, completing the final fusion would require Axis's direct help with his ki. This was a good opportunity. If the plan succeeded, he could also understand the structure of divine power from Magnus.
"Then let us begin. If Magnus can truly complete his apotheosis, it will be a great benefit to all of humanity," the Emperor said with a firm nod.
Had he not been confined to the Golden Throne, had he not known of the dark future awaiting him, the Emperor would never have agreed to this. He would never have allowed the Primarchs to truly find themselves, let alone undergo a form of apotheosis and become true gods.
But circumstances were different now. After living for so long, the Emperor understood all too well that one should never put all their eggs in one basket.
He could not rely on a single investment. He needed to prepare two, three, or even four contingencies. He had to consider what would happen if Axis failed, and whether he would have any options left.
Magnus was one failsafe. His other three sons, Leman Russ, Lion El'Jonson, and Sanguinius, were another. The three of them were among the top tier of combatants among the Primarchs.
If they could achieve godhood, their power would also increase dramatically. The Imperium of Man would then be protected by at least four divine beings.
If all else failed, he could risk the utter annihilation of his soul and fight the Dark King to the bitter end. Even if he were to perish, the Imperium would still have Axis and four new gods to guard it.
Furthermore, Magnus was a god born of the human race. Even after his awakening, he would stand with humanity, for humanity was his origin.
"In that case, I will begin planting the Tree of Mights. During that time, I will keep the two prisoners on my ship. After the planting is complete, I will return to Holy Terra, and we can proceed with Magnus's apotheosis Plan," Axis said.
"If Magnus is successful, then the other three Primarchs who have been enhanced by your ki will also be included in the plan. Rogal Dorn and Guilliman can be considered after that," the Emperor instructed.
He intended to observe the remaining Primarchs a little longer.
He knew his sons well. Jaghatai Khan was not particularly fond of him. If Horus had not been corrupted by Chaos, the Khan might very well have joined the Betrayal. Perturabo of the Iron Warriors and the second Primarch, Karl, also needed further evaluation.
Axis nodded and agreed to the Emperor's request.
The three of them discussed the details for a while longer before the Emperor severed the psychic communication.
Immediately after the call, the Emperor summoned his Regent, Malcador, and personally selected eight populous, Chaos-aligned planets for Axis to use as cultivation sites for the Tree of Mights.
…
At that same time on Macragge, a momentous event was unfolding.
Roboute Guilliman had received news of the great betrayal, but all contact between Holy Terra and Macragge had been lost.
He was forced to consider the worst case scenario: that the Emperor was dead. It was possible that Macragge and its surrounding realms were now the last bastion of humanity. Sanguinius and Axis's son had also arrived at Macragge, each leading their respective fleets.
Thus, Guilliman proposed a radical decision to the two of them: the establishment of a Second Imperium.
After a great deal of effort, Guilliman finally persuaded them to join him in founding this new empire. However, a point of contention soon arose between the three: who would become its leader, or rather, its Emperor.
"Using Macragge as its core, Guilliman, do you intend to become the second Emperor?" Sanguinius asked, his eyes fixed on his brother.
"No, I will not be the ruler. I will serve as the Commander of the entire realm, managing its civil administration. And you, Sanguinius, will be its supreme military commander. Or perhaps, its Regent," Guilliman replied.
"Uncle Guilliman, I trust your ability. If grandfather has truly fallen, then someone must step up to take command and continue to lead humanity. That person should be you," said a young man who stood two and a half meters tall and bore a striking resemblance to Axis.
Sanguinius, standing nearby, nodded in agreement. Guilliman was indeed the most suitable candidate.
"No! The Emperor of the Second Imperium will absolutely not be me. It will be you, my nephew. You are the Emperor's true bloodline, the child born of the Emperor's daughter, the true heir to his legacy. If one person is to righteously inherit the Imperium of Man, it must be you," Guilliman insisted.
"You have inherited all of the Emperor's qualities. You possess the power and physique of a Primarch, and an even longer lifespan than we do. If someone must step forward to lead humanity now, that person will be you, not me."
Even if Axis's son had not been there, Guilliman would have nominated Sanguinius to rule, not himself. He could not take that position. If he sat upon the throne, his actions would be nothing less than high treason.
"How can that be? How could I possibly become the Emperor of the Second Imperium?" the young man protested.
"Guilliman and I will help you. We will help you win the war against Horus and avenge the Emperor," Sanguinius said, placing a reassuring hand on the shoulder of Axis's son.
The Emperor's true bloodline inheriting the Second Imperium seemed a viable path to him.
While the Primarchs were also the Emperor's blood, the meaning was different. The only one there with the true blood of the Emperor was the son of Axis.
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pps?