Axis smiled faintly at those words. Goku's way of thinking was pleasant but rather naive.
Axis knew that he was different from them. Although Goku, Vegeta, and the others had mastered the transformations of Super Saiyan God or Super Saiyan Blue, they had not fundamentally ascended to become true gods.
Axis, however, was different. With the aid of the Goddess of Life's divine power, Axis had completely sublimated himself into a god over the short span of three hundred years.
The only difference between him and a God of Destruction now was likely just that he did not possess Destruction Energy and had not lived for quite as long.
Goku and Vegeta received guidance from Whis because Whis wanted to cultivate a new God of Destruction. Perhaps, for the sake of those two, Kratos could also learn from him. After all, teaching one student was the same as teaching two or three.
"Count me out, Goku," Axis said. "I do not think the Angel Whis would be inclined to train me. It is better for me to train on my own. Besides, my current power cannot be enhanced through ordinary training."
"How will you know if you don't try? Master Whis is very good," Goku insisted. "The reason Vegeta and I could become as strong as we are now is thanks to Lord Whis's guidance."
Although Axis was strong, strong enough to defeat Gogeta, the fusion of Goku and Vegeta, Goku could sense that there was still a world of difference between Axis and Whis.
"Father, I believe I only need to follow your training," Kratos interjected, voicing his objection. "You accepted no one's guidance and relied on your own strength to ascend to divinity. You developed Super Saiyan 3 and Super Saiyan 4 on your own. I believe that under your guidance, I can achieve the same."
Kratos had no desire to learn from some angel. In the past, he had worshipped the Emperor and looked up to his own father, but after his father's return, Kratos truly understood how strong Axis was.
He knew the extent of his father's power; it was greater than the Emperor, greater even than the Dark King, the true master of chaos whom his grandfather had faced.
If his father could rely on his own strength to become a powerful god, then as his child, he could not fall behind. Besides, it was just the power of a god, was it not? His father possessed such things as well.
"Do not say that, Kratos," Axis admonished him gently. "You must remember that stones from other hills may serve to polish the jade of this one. Accepting guidance from a good teacher can save you from many detours.
"Did you know? It took me over three hundred years to go from Super Saiyan 4 to Super Saiyan Blue. Goku and the others took less than a year. Do you understand that gap?"
To be fair, Goku's initial Super Saiyan God form had involved a bit of a shortcut, but it was undeniable that Goku had succeeded and mastered the power of the Super Saiyan God.
Axis, conversely, had upgraded himself into a genuine god. Through the Super Saiyan transformation, he had successfully developed a four-color version, fusing all his various energies together.
A simple Blue or Red form might not necessarily be much stronger than the legendary Super Saiyan 4.
If Kratos followed Axis's training, he could indeed master the forms of Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue, but it would likely take a very long time.
"I understand, Father! If that Lord Whis is willing to instruct me, then I am willing to go and train. And I promise you, I will absolutely not bring shame to you, nor to the Saiyans," Kratos said firmly, nodding to Axis.
Looking at the father and son, Goku let out a long sigh.
"Axis, and Kratos, I really envy you guys! That brat Gohan just won't train with me. If only Gohan were like Kratos and willing to train by my side, how great that would be," Goku lamented.
Although he had a rather carefree personality, having lived to this age, Son Goku understood certain things.
Back when dealing with Majin Buu, why had he offered photos of Bulma instead of his own wife, Chi-Chi? Because regarding his son, Gohan, Goku had not initially treated him as a son, but rather as a partner. The same applied to Chi-Chi; he simply hadn't understood what marriage meant.
It was only later, living and growing together, that Goku gained new insights and truly understood the responsibilities of being a father. Of course, he was absolutely unqualified as a husband; after all these years, he had relied on Chi-Chi to raise the children.
But becoming stronger through training was the nature of a Saiyan, something he truly could not change.
He honestly wished Gohan would follow him in training and inherit his dream of being a martial artist. Yet, despite possessing the best aptitude and the greatest combat talent, Gohan did not care for the dream of cultivation. He actually wanted to be a scholar.
If only Gohan could admire him the way Kratos admired Axis.
"Becoming a scholar? What use is a scholar?" Kratos snorted coldly. "Can a scholar save the world? Can he lead his race to strength? Absolutely not."
Kratos had lived for over four hundred years. After his grandfather, the Emperor, was interred upon the Golden Throne, Kratos had served as a Legion Commander for a very long time.
As a ruler, he clearly understood that so-called scholars were merely tools in the hands of politicians.
But in his eyes, even politicians were nothing more than a swarm of ants. In this world, only power was truth. When your power transcended everyone else, you realized this fact: mortals could not disobey your commands.
Possessing superhuman strength yet wanting to be a scholar and muddle along among commoners was, in Kratos's view, an act of depravity.
"Mr. Son Goku, you should properly educate your son," Kratos said. "Let him understand the utility of power.
"Let him understand that being a so-called scholar on a mortal planet is entirely incompatible with the identity of a warrior who possesses the power to destroy planets. With his strength, he could obtain the allegiance of hundreds of worlds and become a king."
"Ah... my Gohan has no intention of becoming a planetary ruler," Goku said, scratching his head. "I practice martial arts just for the fun of it and to fight strong enemies. Though to be honest, the problem of putting food on the table does trouble me."
He hadn't felt it before, but since having a wife and two sons, the pressure had arrived. Fortunately, Gohan was married now. The Satan family was incredibly wealthy, second only to Bulma's family, so the income was quite substantial.
"Kratos, as the saying goes, everyone has their own aspirations. You cannot force your own ideas onto others. There are some matters you should not interfere with," Axis said.
Son Gohan's character was impossible to change. Unless Earth faced some super crisis, that man would never put on a martial arts gi to fight again. It was a waste of his genius-level aptitude.
"Anyway, leave everything to me! Kratos, and Axis, you stay nearby for now. Next time Teacher Whis picks Vegeta and me up to go to the God of Destruction's planet, I'll ask him to take both of you," Goku said.
"Understood," Axis nodded.
Goku left the Dragon Radar with them, waved his hand, and returned to his home.
Axis and Kratos took up residence nearby, deploying a simple house from a spatial storage device. After Goku left, Axis immediately called for his son and handed him the Dragon Radar.
"Kratos, this displays the location of the Dragon Balls. They have been restored. Go and collect the seven Dragon Balls," Axis ordered.
"I understand, Father!" Kratos nodded and immediately flew off.
These things called Dragon Balls were indeed miraculous; they could grant various wishes. Although there were limitations, they were still very effective.
He also understood his father's intention. Though unspoken, his father wanted to acquire the ability to create Dragon Balls and bring them to their own universe.
With Dragon Balls, Kratos could hardly imagine the earth-shattering changes the Imperium would undergo. One could simply make a wish.
Asking for the resources of an entire planet, restoring worlds devoured by the Tyranids, purging the Greenskins, or evolving the entire human race, all these wishes could be realized.
Leave it to me, Father!
Collecting the seven Dragon Balls on Earth was not difficult. With Kratos's strength, unless Goku, Vegeta, or Gohan intervened, he had no equal. And even if they did, those three could merely fight Kratos to a draw.
In just half a day, Kratos had collected all seven Dragon Balls and brought them back to his father.
The father and son chose to summon Shenron after dark, traveling to the glacial world of the Earth's North Pole. It was uninhabited here; summoning the dragon would not alert anyone to anything unusual.
"Come forth, Shenron, and grant my wish," Axis shouted the summoning incantation directly. Earth's Shenron was convenient; it did not require speaking in Namekian.
The seven Dragon Balls once again erupted with colorful light. A bolt of lightning struck down, and a green eastern dragon, tens of thousands of meters long, appeared before Axis.
"You who have gathered the Seven Dragon Balls! I can grant you any wish. You may now state three wishes," the massive dragon lowered its head and spoke to Axis.
"The first wish, Shenron. I want to obtain the Evil Third Eye, the treasure of the Demon Realm Royal Family," Axis said.
Axis intended to give the Third Eye from Dragon Ball Daima to his wife, Kasha, or perhaps another Primarch. It could at least create a being at the level of Super Saiyan 4.
"Hmm. I am very sorry, but that wish exceeds the scope of my abilities," Shenron replied. "The Third Eye does not exist in this universe, but in another world. Therefore, I cannot grant this wish. Please state a different one."
Axis nodded upon hearing this. When he had summoned the Namekian dragon previously, something had caught his attention.
The dragon said it had retrieved all the Super Dragon Ball fragments from the Seventh Universe. That meant the fragments in the Sixth Universe had not been taken.
And Shenron's power could only affect its own universe, not others.
After all, a dragon created merely from fragments was not the genuine article, so its capabilities were understandably limited.
"In that case, Shenron, I already possess the ability to break dimensional barriers and travel to other worlds. I wish for you to perfect this ability of mine, allowing me to actively target locations and traverse parallel universes at will," Axis said.
Axis's space-traveling ability was not actually a side effect of being a Super Saiyan God, but inherent to himself.
He estimated that he had likely gained a trace of spatial affinity when he first transmigrated into the Dragon Ball world. It was only when he became a Super Saiyan God that this potential was fully activated. Previously, traveling parallel worlds in the Warhammer universe had been a minor affair. His power should have allowed him to traverse many worlds.
Being able to use this power to return to the Dragon Ball universe was the best proof. Therefore, Axis wanted Shenron to refine this ability. Ideally, he wanted to travel to other parallel Dragon Ball universes.
The Dragon Ball multiverse had many movies, almost all of which belonged to parallel universes.
Aside from Dragon Ball Super, which was created by Akira Toriyama, everything after the original series finale could be considered a parallel universe. This included Dragon Ball Daima, Dragon Ball GT, and the current pinnacle of combat power, Dragon Ball Heroes.
"Hmm. I cannot bestow the power to traverse universes upon others, but since you possess this ability yourself, I can integrate your power. I will allow you to master it perfectly, enabling you to travel freely to other universes or worlds as you wish." Shenron's eyes glowed crimson as a light enveloped Axis.
Axis found that the spatial power he could previously only vaguely sense was now much more distinct. It seemed that with a wave of his hand, he could tear through the barriers of the world and travel elsewhere. Furthermore, Axis could now accurately target any world he visited. If he wanted to, he could return to his own universe right now.
"It is done. Your first wish has been granted. Now, tell me your remaining two wishes," Shenron said.
"Thank you very much for your help, Shenron. My second wish is to obtain the ability of the Namekians to create Dragon Balls," Axis said.
"I am very sorry. I cannot grant that wish," the huge dragon shook its head. "That exceeds the scope of my abilities. The Namekian ability is not something I can bestow upon others; it is a blessing from the Dragon God Zalama."
"Then, how does one obtain the blessing of the Dragon God Zalama? Can I change my second wish to obtaining Zalama's blessing? Or can you tell me the specific method for creating Dragon Balls?" Axis asked.
"The question you ask falls within the scope of a wish. I can answer you, but it will consume one wish. Is that acceptable?" Shenron asked.
Axis pondered for a moment and then nodded.
"The blessing of Dragon God Zalama comes from the dawn of the universe, a blessing from Zalama to certain kind-hearted native creatures. Since that blessing was born at the beginning of the universe, there is only one way to obtain it: you must make a wish to the Super Divine Dragon created by Dragon God Zalama.
"Only by obtaining Dragon God Zalama's blessing can you use the fragments of the Super Dragon Balls to create Dragon Balls. As for the strength of the dragon you create, it relates to your own power and the size of the Super Dragon Ball fragments used. The stronger you are, and the more fragments used, the stronger the dragon created will be."
Shenron revealed the true method for creating Dragon Balls.
"I understand, Shenron. Thank you very much," Axis said.
It seemed the Great Elder of Namek had anticipated his thoughts long ago and thus did not care whether Axis obtained the Super Dragon Ball fragments.
But the Elder had forgotten about the Super Dragon Balls. It seemed Axis would need two wishes from the Super Divine Dragon.
The Dragon Balls he created likely wouldn't possess the ability to summon the Universe Tree.
Axis planned to use the Universe Tree to integrate all the parallel universes of the Warhammer setting, create a single universe, and truly become a God of Creation.
It appeared the Tournament of Power was unavoidable. Or he would have to find other ways to restore the erased universes.
"You are welcome. This is merely the reward for gathering the seven Dragon Balls. Now, state your third wish," the Earth Shenron said.
"Shenron, my third wish is also a question. Can you tell me: if a universe is erased by Grand Zeno, how can it be restored?" Axis asked.
"..."
Upon hearing this question, the massive dragon looked at Axis speechlessly. You bastard, do you have any idea what you are asking? You dare question matters regarding Lord Zeno, and even his power of erasure!
"There are three methods," Shenron said finally. "The first is for Lord Zeno to actively allow the erased universe to return. The second is to use the Divine Dragon created by Lord Zalama to restore the erased universe. The third method requires Dragon God Zalama himself to take action and create the universe anew."
"Create a universe? Shenron, do you mean to say that the universes currently in existence were all created by Dragon God Zalama?" Axis asked in surprise.
"Your wishes have all been granted. I will not answer any more of your questions. Farewell!"
The answers to the last two questions were far more valuable than two standard wishes. The massive dragon instantly dispersed and vanished.