"If you don't believe this matter, I can ask Khorne. I imagine he would also give you a satisfactory answer. As for the other theory, that one could steal the Dark King's power, that is even less reliable," the Emperor said.
He continued, "It is impossible for me to steal even a shred of the Dark King's power because I already possess a part of his power. Without the Dark King's power, I am merely an ordinary mortal. Our power originates from the same source; I am an avatar of the Dark King. Think about it: if you created a clone, could that clone steal the power of your main body and suppress you, even while you slept?"
The whole situation was simply preposterous.
"I understand. It's just hard to believe," Axis replied. "You may not know this, but the Dark King of that world put in a massive effort to help me hunt down and kill the Dark King of our world."
"That is quite normal. If the Dark King of our world discovered a Dark King from another universe, he would also move to kill him without hesitation," the Emperor explained. "It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Since the power of a Dark King comes from the same source, just think about it: after our world's Dark King had his consciousness obliterated, his strength was naturally greatly diminished. Who do you think absorbed all that dissipated energy?"
Internal logic suggested that of course the entity would help Axis; it would have been strange if he hadn't. To be able to devour another version of oneself to increase one's own power was a heist worth pulling.
"Hmph. Since this is confirmed, I'll have to play a little game with that bastard," Axis scoffed coldly.
"Axis, I suggest that while you are in the other world, you don't concern yourself with too many extraneous matters. Hurry up and send Kasha, Sanguinius, and Kratos back here! If possible, snatch the Goddess of Life as well. If you can't, then forget it. Do not meddle in other affairs; your primary goal right now is to increase your own power," the Emperor instructed.
They needed to get Kratos, Kasha, and Sanguinius back quickly.
"I know. Just leave it to me. The time flow in our world is different from there; it is roughly a hundred times faster. Forty years have passed here, but I only stayed there for a little over four months. Not even five full months," Axis said.
"Your priority remains cultivating the Fruit of the God Tree. We need three fruits to divide among us; there cannot be any mishaps," the Emperor said meaningfuly.
The reason their triangular alliance held together was the division of the God Tree's harvest. If three fruits could not be produced, their alliance would cease to exist.
Axis nodded at these words, then turned to look at the massive God Tree. There were over a dozen flower buds on it. Once it bloomed and bore fruit, there would be at least ten or more Divine Fruits, more than enough to go around.
It was fortunate that he had converted the Goddess of Life. Now that Isha possessed Ki, she could substitute for him in providing Ki, and the Saibamen were there to help as well. Although Axis was far more powerful, Isha's energy, resembling the Ki of a Supreme Kai, was actually more suitable for the God Tree's growth. In contrast, Axis's Divine Power had to be purified before the tree could absorb it.
"The Goddess of Life is crucial. With two Goddesses of Life present, plus my assistance, the effectiveness of the God Tree's cultivation will be at least double what it was before," Axis said.
They were two Supreme Kai-level beings, after all.
"Just handle it well yourself. I trust your judgment, but make sure you don't ruin it," the Emperor cautioned.
Fortunately, his world had Axis. Otherwise, the Emperor's fate would have likely mirrored that of the Emperor in the other world: ten thousand years later, his consciousness completely replaced by the Dark King, reduced utterly to a puppet.
"I know, Father-in-law. You can rest assured. I won't give the Dark King of the other world a chance," Axis snorted.
"Axis, when do you plan to return to the other world?" the Emperor asked.
"Since the time flow is different, I plan to stay here for a few months. That will only be a few days over there. Besides, I brought back quite a few good things this time," Axis said.
"Oh? What sort of good things?"
"Primaris Space Marine technology! This is the Space Marine enhancement technology that Belisarius Cawl was going to develop. It adds three new superhuman organs to the Space Marines, making them even stronger. I packaged the entire technology and brought it back," Axis explained.
"Oh! That technology would be very useful to the Imperium. You should make a trip back and hand this technology over to Magnus," the Emperor said.
"Understood."
Axis exchanged a few more words with the Emperor before the Emperor's psychic consciousness returned to the Golden Throne.
Axis, in turn, returned to the Domain of Life.
He first spoke with Isha, the Goddess of Life, and inspected the God Tree. During the forty years he had been away, the Goddess of Life had cared for the tree with painstaking attention, and it was growing even better than before.
"With you here, I can rest easy, Isha. I leave the God Tree to you. Before long, I will find you a sister to bring back," Axis said.
"Hehe. Father, you really are generous. Though, it should actually be the 'me' from another world, correct?" Isha said. She had heard the conversation between Axis and the Emperor clearly.
She could hardly imagine it, the version of herself in that other world had been imprisoned by that green, bloated monstrosity for ten thousand years. How had the other Isha managed to endure it?
In truth, Axis had been harboring a theory for some time: the Fusion Dance from the Dragon Ball world was an incredibly useful tool.
Although it was just a dance, as long as two individuals possessed Ki and had roughly equal power levels, they could fuse to create a super warrior.
There was no one currently who could coordinate with him, but if he brought the Isha from the other world back, then both Ishas would possess the power of life and simultaneously possess Ki. Their power would effectively be from the same source.
If the two of them performed the Fusion Dance, would they fuse into a Super Goddess? Although it would only last for thirty minutes, the combined strength of two entities with Supreme Kai attributes shouldn't be too far off from his own.
"Father, what are you thinking about?"
"I was thinking about something. After the you from the other world arrives, I'm going to teach you both a new move. It will grant you even greater power, a trump card of sorts. If this technique is successful, your strength might even approach mine," Axis said.
The Goddess of Life wasn't a combat-type deity, so even after fusion, her strength would at most act as a decent counterpart to his.
If they were combat gods, Axis estimated a fusion would be able to thrash him soundly. That is, of course, assuming he didn't eat a Divine Fruit or fuse with Destruction energy himself.
"To be evenly matched with you! I look forward to that very much," Isha said.
"Hahaha! Don't worry, I won't let you down. This move will surprise you. But for now, let me keep it a secret," Axis laughed.
Once the two Goddesses of Life completed their fusion, their greatest utility would be serving as his sparring partner. Having an evenly matched opponent to fight caused a Saiyan to improve extremely quickly.
The Goddess of Life had no idea that she was destined to become Axis's punching bag.
After giving Isha a few more instructions, Axis intended to return to the Imperium proper. However, before he could leave, Isha stopped him.
"Father, do you remember that peculiar technique you asked me to develop before?" Isha asked.
Axis looked puzzled. "Which one?"
"The power of Instant Transmission. I have been researching the power inherent to a Supreme Kai, and now I can finally use it proficiently. Within the galaxy, I can easily tear through the Warp and appear in the corresponding location in real-space," the Goddess of Life explained.
Axis had previously told her about Instant Transmission, locking onto another person's Ki to teleport. However, no one else in this universe possessed Ki.
So, she had devised an alternative method: utilizing the overlap between the Warp and real-space. using Ki as a seed anchor to tear the barrier between the dimensions. This allowed one to move from one region directly through the Warp and instantly appear in reality tens of thousands of light-years away.
It was a variant version of Instant Transmission, moving faster than flying through the Warp or using the Webway.
"Hahaha! I just mentioned that in passing back then; I didn't expect you to actually develop a variation of it. Excellent. Teach this technique to me!" Axis said eagerly.
"Alright! The principle works like this: first... you must precisely locate the coordinates in the material universe... and then utilize the Warp to perform the instantaneous shift." Isha explained the Instant Transmission technique she had developed to Axis in great detail.
It took Axis three days to successfully learn the move.
The underlying principle wasn't overly difficult; as long as one mastered Ki and learned the specific trick, the skill could be mastered.
This skill was incredibly useful. Not only was it effective in his own world, but once he returned to the alternate universe, he could use it to teleport there as well.
With this move, he could toy with the Dark King even more effectively.
After mastering the technique, Axis bid farewell to the Goddess of Life, Isha. He then used the Instant Transmission skill to teleport directly from the Domain of Life within the Webway back to the capital of the Imperium, Holy Terra.