After pondering Axis's words for a moment, Sanguinius felt they made perfect sense. Although the four Chaos Gods claimed to be supreme, they were certainly not at a Multiversal level.
Axis had once spoken with him in depth, defining the concepts of the Universe level and the Multiverse level.
First was the Universe Level.
In one's own universe, such an entity was immortal and reigned supreme, an almost invincible existence. Unless faced with a being from the same tier, it was fundamentally impossible to oppose them. Theoretically, the strongest at this level could destroy the single universe in which they existed.
Then there was the Multiverse level. This surpassed the Universe Level; such beings could easily destroy several universes or create them with a wave of their hand.
They almost transcended life and death, escaped the significance of time, and could resurrect anyone or modify anything within a single universe at will.
Defining the impossible as possible, this was a strength completely beyond the imagination of the Universe Level, and it was the true benchmark of the Multiverse.
According to Axis's classification, the four Chaos Gods had not even touched the peak of the Universe Level.
Even in Axis's calculations, the Dark King born in his complete form would only be at the peak of the Universe Level.
As for the Chaos Gods, they were merely petty tyrants within a single universe. They could not be considered Multiversal existences; they hadn't even touched the heels of the Universe Level.
"Axis, this classification of yours is indeed terrifying. So, if you devour Khorne and swallow the fragment of the War God, what realm will your strength reach?" Sanguinius asked a crucial question.
"According to my calculations, if all my goals are achieved, I will touch the threshold of the Universe Level. At the very least, the Chaos Gods will definitely not be my match, not even if all four of them attack together. If the Dark King is successfully born, he will at most only be able to fight me to a draw," Axis replied.
To grow into his complete state, he still needed to learn to control the energy of a God of Destruction.
If he could master that Destruction energy, Axis's strength would undergo a world-shaking change.
At that time, the Dark King would no longer be immortal, because the energy of a God of Destruction could utterly and completely annihilate him.
However, before absorbing the Destruction energy, Axis had to be fully prepared. One of the most critical elements was the Fruit of the Tree of Might, the God's Fruit, which was why Axis needed the two Aeldari Goddesses of Life.
"I see, I understand now, Axis. However, I have a suggestion, though I do not know if I should speak it," Sanguinius said after a moment of silence.
"The relationship between the two of us is so good, what cannot be said? Just speak your mind," Axis looked at Sanguinius and said.
Having known Sanguinius for several hundred years, their relationship was excellent. If Sanguinius had an opinion, Axis would absolutely listen to it.
"Axis, I will use my power of Holy Light, combined with your Divine Power, to create an absolutely safe zone. I am not certain if our subsequent conversation might be known by a third party, so we must take some insurance," Sanguinius stated.
Axis nodded upon hearing this. Together with Sanguinius, using Ki, Holy Light, and his own Divine Power, they established a bounded field.
It was capable of almost completely isolating all nearby Warp energy.
"Alright, this makes it absolutely safe. No one can eavesdrop on our conversation now without being detected by you or me. Speak freely," Axis said.
"Then I will be direct, Axis. I feel you best not easily trust the Emperor of this world. Although he is my father, I advise you not to trust him lightly. You can absorb the fragment of Khaine the Bloody-Handed, because the War God Khaine was a normal Order God of the Aeldari, and he is thoroughly dead. Khaine will not negatively influence you. But regarding Khorne, I advise you to think thrice before acting."
Sanguinius continued, his tone heavy with meaning. "You understand the power of the Chaos Gods; they are aggregates of all negative forms in the universe! This universe's Khorne is indeed powerful, but Axis, can you really absorb that mass of negative energy? Although your Ki possesses certain purifying properties, you must consider the sheer volume of Khorne."
"Sanguinius, do you mean to say that my absorbing Khorne would not be a good thing?" Axis asked, perplexed.
"Correct! Axis, the Chaos Gods are not benevolent things. Your current strength is already very potent. Absorbing the Aeldari War God can further increase your divinity, and the God's Fruit can also increase your divine power. You can completely grow on your own. Khorne's divinity indeed aligns with you, but the negative emotions he possesses... can you truly absorb them?
"Furthermore, can your Ki really evolve fast enough to purify these negativity? You must know that as long as there is sentient life in the universe, these negative emotions will appear continuously."
Sanguinius then voiced his worst conjecture. "I even harbor a suspicion! If you truly absorb the Chaos divinity of this world's Khorne, will you become bound to the Warp of this universe and be permanently left here? Have you considered these things?"
The four Chaos Gods represented the most powerful existences in the Warp. Theoretically, once a Chaos God was born, they were deeply bound to the Warp.
As long as the Warp was not destroyed, the Chaos Gods were existences that could not be exterminated; they would exist permanently as aggregates of all negative emotions.
If Axis absorbed the power of a Chaos God, he might very well become bound to this universe's Warp, perhaps even replacing Khorne's position to become the new generation's Khorne, a new Chaos God. This was not impossible.
Axis was not actually skilled at schemes and conspiracies. If he wasn't careful, he was quite easily deceived, so Sanguinius felt he had to issue reminders in certain areas.
"What you say makes sense, Sanguinius. Let me think about it carefully." Axis frowned upon hearing this.
If he really killed this world's Khorne and absorbed all the opponent's Chaos divine power, could he truly digest it completely and break away from this Warp?
Although Axis was strong now, there was still a slight gap between him and the Chaos Gods.
His advantages were Ki and possessing a physical body in reality, which allowed him to defeat them in the material universe. In the Warp, Axis did not fear them either.
"You also feel something is wrong, don't you, Axis? Can you tell me when you planned to devour a Chaos God? or rather, who told you to do so?" Sanguinius asked.
"The method to devour a Chaos God was taught to me by the Emperor of this world. He said he used this method to devour a portion of the Dark King's power. He taught me this method to let me devour the power of the Chaos God Khorne," Axis explained.
"That settles it, Axis. From start to finish, it has been the Emperor guiding you, guiding you to devour the power of a Chaos God! There is an old saying: one should not have the heart to harm others, but one must have the heart to guard against them.
"We helped the Emperor of this world and his Imperium without asking for anything, but are you certain the Emperor truly bears us good will? Or rather, is he truly my father, the Emperor?" Sanguinius suddenly spoke words that left Axis somewhat bewildered.
"What do you mean? Do you suspect that the one on the Golden Throne is not the Emperor himself?" Axis asked, his expression changing.
"From the moment he sat on the Golden Throne, he was no longer our father. Or rather, he was no longer the original Emperor. Whatever that thing is, it is at least not the one who launched the Great Crusade ten thousand years ago," Sanguinius stated.
Regarding the problem of the Emperor, he had privately discussed it with Mephiston, the Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels, and Dante. He had even privately communicated with the Guilliman of this universe.
They reached a conclusion: although the Emperor still helped humanity, he was absolutely not the person who sat on the Golden Throne ten thousand years ago.
The Emperor of their own universe, although also seated on a Golden Throne, still retained a complete personality because of Axis.
But the Emperor of this world was already in a state nearing death back then. He sat on the Golden Throne and served humanity for ten thousand years.
"Sanguinius, I don't like beating around the bush. If you have any suspicions or discoveries, say them directly!" Axis said. He felt there was a hidden meaning in Sanguinius's words.
"Then I will be blunt. Axis, do you know why I did not go to Holy Terra? Do you know why I insisted you come to me? It wasn't actually because I wanted you to help me deal with the Tyranids. With my current power, I can achieve the same feats as you in the cosmic vacuum. A tiny Hive Fleet Kronos is no match for me at all," Sanguinius revealed.
"You made me come here on purpose? Deliberately avoiding Holy Terra? You didn't want to see the Emperor?"
"Correct! Axis, I suspect the one on the Golden Throne is simply not the Emperor. He wants to deceive you. I initially thought he wanted you to stay in this universe. But he told you to devour the divinity of a Chaos God, and claimed to have stolen the power of the Dark King. This makes me shudder.
"I do not know how strong the Emperor of this world is, but before he sat on the Golden Throne, he was absolutely not as strong as the Emperor of our universe. You cannot deny this, Axis. So you can make a bold deduction: why is the Emperor of this world so powerful? While the power of humanity's faith is important, what is his true source?"
"Don't tell me you suspect the one currently on the Golden Throne is the Dark King!" Axis's face changed drastically.
"Yes! Axis, that is exactly what I suspect. Father's power, though it looks glittering and golden, is actually not holy; it is extremely dark. But the divine power of this world's Emperor is extremely holy.
"Therefore, I made a bold hypothesis. Take me as an example: I appear incomparable and holy as an Archangel, but inside, I am essentially of the Blood Kin. Even my transformed states have two sides: one is the Holy Archangel, and the other is the Angel of War."
Sanguinius continued, "It is precisely because of your help that I could stabilize the Holy Archangel form, but in essence, I am a bloodthirsty dark force. And the Dark King can be said to be the source of dark power in the entire universe.
"The ultimate darkness is light! The most terrifying despair is also hope! The extreme of evil is holiness. This is the conclusion I have reached.
"Even if my power of Holy Light is exerted to the extreme, what is produced in the end is my War God form. I can feel a shadow power more and more now. I suspect the Dark King has used you.
"The soul, and even the entire personality of Father in this universe, has already been thoroughly devoured. The one sitting on the Golden Throne right now is simply the Dark King himself. The reason he silently endures all this is so the human race can better provide him with power. For the Dark King, the power of hope is also food.
"And you are the only one who can threaten the Dark King. Rationally speaking, if you grow step-by-step, there is absolutely no need to devour any Chaos Gods. The Chaos Divinity of Khorne within the Warp is no good thing.
"What makes me most suspicious is that he taught you the devouring method. Father's power could absolutely not devour the Dark King, just think of the encounter of our world's Father! Think of the actions of the Dark King in our world, and you will understand my words, Axis.
"Ten thousand years ago, the Dark King could influence the Emperor of our world to that extent. Yet now, the Emperor here supposedly suppressed him and even stole a portion of his power? do you find that credible?" Sanguinius laid out all his conjectures to Axis.
"What you say makes sense. If the Chaos God's divinity really has problems, once I absorb it, I will be covered by terrifying negative emotions, and bound to this universe's Warp. For me, the best growth path is consuming God's Fruit and then absorbing the energy of a God of Destruction, not absorbing the power of some Chaos God." Axis suddenly understood the cause and effect, his face turning grim.
He had been somewhat presumptuous.
The Emperor of this world was indeed strange, very strange even when they communicated.
When Axis cleared away those dark personalities of the Emperor, he had found them to be too weak! So weak that they vanished the moment his power shone upon them. Yet the Emperor had supposedly been suppressed by such trash?
"It is good that you understand, Axis. But all of this is my speculation. Perhaps we can probe a little. Let's see if the one on the Golden Throne is truly the Emperor from ten thousand years ago, or if he has already become the Dark King," Sanguinius said.
"What plan do you have?"
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ps?