According to Axis, the Dragon Balls would eventually give birth to seven Shadow Dragons, and each one of them could overpower him with ease.
The thought sent a chill down the Emperor's spine. What kind of absurdity was this? In his current state, Axis possessed enough power to annihilate an entire universe without breaking a sweat, yet the Shadow Dragons born from his wishes could overwhelm even him? What kind of monsters were those things?
The Emperor concluded that, given how dangerous the situation was, Axis should limit his use of the Dragon Balls to once every hundred years at the very least. And if the need ever arose again, they could try forging a new set.
Axis responded to that suggestion with a flat roll of his eyes. He had entertained that idea himself, and he did still have some leftover fragments from the Super Dragon Balls that could, in a pinch, be fashioned into another set. But it was not nearly as simple as the Emperor seemed to think.
"Father-in-law," Axis said, "it is not as straightforward as you imagine. I can only ever create one set of Dragon Balls. That set becomes bound to my very soul. When I grow stronger, they grow stronger; when I weaken, they weaken; and when I die, they are destroyed along with me."
He had considered this possibility during his return to the Warhammer Universe, only to dismiss it as unworkable. Each being could forge only one set of Dragon Balls, and that set was permanently tethered to its creator's existence.
There was simply no way for Axis to produce a second set.
"Then teach me the method," the Grand Supreme Kai Emperor suggested, struck by a sudden inspiration. "I will create a set myself."
Axis chuckled at that. If that were the case, Dragon Balls would have been flooding the cosmos long ago.
The process required, first and foremost, fragments from a Super Dragon Ball. Beyond that, one needed the blessing of Zalama, the Dragon God himself, without which the creation was simply impossible.
In the Dragon Ball world, only the Namekians possessed the ability to forge Dragon Balls, and that was because their entire race had received Zalama's blessing from the beginning of their history.
Axis himself had obtained that blessing through the Super Dragon Ball's wish, and it was that gift alone which granted him the power to create them.
He laid all of this out plainly for the Emperor.
"I see," the Emperor murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Well, you mentioned that the Namekians in that world can create Dragon Balls. If that is the case, perhaps we should work through the Namekians themselves."
"That is unlikely to be feasible," Axis replied. "I cannot simply abduct a Namekian and drag them here, and not every Namekian is even capable of creating Dragon Balls to begin with."
More importantly, he had no idea whether Namekians transplanted to this universe would retain their ability to create Dragon Balls at all.
And there was the matter of Zalama, the Namekians' connection to the Dragon God was not something Axis wanted to disturb over such a trivial concern. He was quite certain Zalama was still alive, for if a creator died, the Dragon Balls vanished with them.
The issue of inherited ability was a separate problem entirely, one that required the recipient to be capable of withstanding the power of a Super Dragon in the first place.
"Then bring back some biological tissue from a Namekian," the Emperor pressed. "We can attempt a clone. You mentioned a Namekian on Earth by the name of Dende, one who was naturally gifted with the ability to create Dragon Balls. A powerful Namekian, at that."
With the Empire's current level of technology, producing a viable clone was entirely within reach.
"Let us set cloning aside," Axis said, shaking his head. "I cannot be certain that a cloned Namekian would receive Zalama's blessing. The whole affair is deeply metaphysical. Only a true bloodline inheritance will suffice, a clone will not do."
The Emperor fell quiet for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Axis, you said the Namekians were blessed as an entire race. Does it not follow, then, that your own bloodline may carry a similar blessing? Take Kratos, for instance. He is your true flesh and blood. And in a broader sense, your genetic sons, the mighty Golden Legiones Astartes. Could they not also create Dragons?"
The Namekians, by Axis's own account, had been blessed by the Dragon God in the distant past.
Their race did not grant this ability to every individual; only a select few among their elite possessed it.
This pointed to the blessing being tied to bloodline. And Axis had descendants of his own. Beyond Kratos, the entire golden Legion counted as his progeny.
"Kratos is worth a try," Axis said, rubbing his chin. "But my genetic sons, I am entirely certain, cannot do this."
The members of the golden Legion were his sons, yes, but they carried only a fragment of Saiyan heritage. They could access a weakened form of the Super Saiyan transformation, yet they remained fundamentally mortal in their constitution and lacked any Ki whatsoever.
They were, in every meaningful sense, cloned beings carrying a portion of Axis's genetic material, not true heirs born of his blood. Without so much as basic Ki, the possibility of them creating Dragon Balls was nonexistent.
Kratos, however, was another matter entirely.
His power already far surpassed Super Saiyan 4, and in a fused state he had achieved Super Saiyan Blue. After consuming a God Fruit, he had comprehended the power of the gods, making him enormously formidable and possessed of staggering future potential.
Dragon Balls created by his own son might well rival Axis's own in power. The only limiting factor would be the fragments available to him.
If Axis used the leftover shards from his own Super Dragon Ball to make Kratos's set, he would inadvertently be capping Kratos's potential. His plan, then, was to return to the Dragon Ball world in due time and collect the Super Dragon Ball fragments from Universe 6, having previously gathered only those from Universe 7.
Only then would he have Kratos forge his own Dragon Balls, and that would be the most ideal arrangement.
The trouble was that a Dragon Ball set created under those conditions would barely be weaker than Axis's own, and his own Dragon Balls were already causing enough headaches with their Shadow Dragons.
If Kratos produced his own set on top of that, they would eventually be dealing with fourteen Shadow Dragons coming to cause trouble.
The Emperor quietly reflected that he had, perhaps, offered a rather terrible suggestion.
"We will revisit all of this later," Axis said. "With my current power, I can accomplish many things without relying on the Dragon Balls at all. We can leave them untouched for the next two hundred years."
The Dragon Balls had been used twice, which meant the Eternal Dragon needed two hundred years to purge the accumulated negative energy.
The silver lining was that two hundred years in the Warhammer Universe was not so dreadfully long a wait.
Beyond that, the flow of time differs from world to world. Centuries here might amount to only a few days back in the Dragon Ball world. Future crossings into other realms might present their own variations in temporal flow as well.
The two men spoke for a while longer before the Emperor took his leave.
The commotion in the depths of the sacred palace on Terra gradually subsided. The newly risen Emperor was ruling with an iron hand, purging the Imperium from within and rekindling the flame of hope for all of humanity.
Axis and the Grand Supreme Kai Emperor had fulfilled their principal purpose in this universe. Now to find the Aeldari Death God and the destruction of the Silent King.
"Good luck to you, Axis. I am off to settle the score with the Silent King, I will find you once the business is done," the Grand Supreme Kai Emperor said.
"Enjoy yourself, Father-in-law," Axis replied.
A flash of golden light, and the Grand Supreme Kai Emperor's form vanished on the spot, leaving only faint ripples in the fabric of space behind him.
He crossed the endless void between the stars in an instant and descended with perfect precision into the hidden court of the Silent King, Szarekh, which lay concealed within a warped dimensional pocket on the fringes of the galaxy.
A one-sided reckoning was about to unfold, and for the Necrons of this universe, its conclusion would be nothing short of annihilation.
After the Emperor had departed, Axis extended his psychic senses outward and locked onto the presence of Ynnead, the Aeldari Death God, currently resting on an Aeldari world somewhere within the galaxy.
Ynnead had only recently emerged from a bitter clash against Slaanesh. Though he had not prevailed, he had taken the measure of Slaanesh's true strength, and now led the Aeldari host in a series of offensives against the forces of the Chaos Gods.
Once he had pinpointed his target, Axis did not hesitate. He took the two Kashas with him and teleported directly to Ynnead's location.
Within the Death God's palace, Ynnead sat cross-legged on the floor, deep in meditation, when a subtle distortion of space rippled across his awareness.
He was on his feet in an instant, blade drawn and every sense sharpened to a razor's edge.
But when he saw who stepped through the spatial tunnel, the tension drained from his bearing at once.
"It is you, Lord Axis," Ynnead said, his voice warm with relief. "It has been far too long. Was there something you needed? You could have had Yvraine send a word. I would have come to you personally. There was no need to trouble yourself with a journey."
He bowed deeply as he spoke.
His gratitude toward Axis ran deep. It was Axis who had enabled his early awakening, who had granted him a physical form, and who had given him the power to stand against his nemesis, Slaanesh.
"It was no trouble," Axis said with a nod. "I actually have something quite important to discuss with you."
"Whatever it is you need from me, Lord Axis, you need only say the word," Ynnead replied with the same respectful bearing.
He could not help but notice, however, that Axis's presence felt entirely different from the last time they had met.
Previously, while he had known Axis to be immensely powerful, he had at least been able to sense roughly where the man stood; somewhere above the Chaos Gods, but not incomprehensibly so.
Now, he could not perceive the limits of Axis' strength at all. Standing before him, Ynnead felt as small and insignificant as an ant.
How long had it been since they last met? And Axis had grown to such a degree in that span of time?
"Ynnead," Axis said, dispensing with preamble and going straight to the point, "I would like to offer you an opportunity, a chance to obtain a power that surpasses the four Chaos Gods. I wonder if you would be willing."
Ynnead's brow creased. "You flatter me, Lord Axis. To reach a level beyond the Chaos Gods is simply impossible for me. The only path to such power would be through the sacrifice of every last Aeldari soul, and I would never bring harm upon my own kind."
It was no exaggeration.
By rights, his true birth was meant to come only after the death of the very last Aeldari. The method by which Yvraine and the others had collected the five blades of the Crone to summon him had been a far more modest awakening than that, and far less complete than what Axis had already gifted him.
Ascending to a power greater than the four Chaos Gods was simply beyond any realistic expectation.
"Hear me out first," Axis said. "Ynnead, you can already sense the measure of my current strength. The matter stands as follows..."
He proceeded to lay out the full extent of his intentions.
As he listened, the color drained progressively from Ynnead's face. His expression shifted with each new revelation, and by the time Axis had finished, the Death God was barely holding himself together.
Axis had divided the Warp itself, splitting the Sea of Souls into a separate Daemon Realm and an Underworld, and now he was asking Ynnead to become Lord of that Underworld?
"Lord Axis... you are not joking?" Ynnead's voice trembled slightly.
He stared at Axis with unconcealed disbelief. "You truly intend for me to become the Master of the Underworld?"
"I have no reason to deceive you," Axis said. "You are already the embodiment of death itself, which makes you the most fitting candidate for the lordship of the Underworld by any measure.
"As for your current power, you need not be concerned. I can offer you a God Fruit. Once you consume it and have spent some time making the gains your own, you will ascend to the level of a Supreme Kai. At that point, you will take your place in another world's Underworld Realm and serve as its Supreme Kai."
Ynnead straightened and bowed with solemn gravity before speaking. "Lord Axis, it would be the highest of honours. But I must ask, what becomes of my people?"
The temptation was nearly impossible to refuse.
The thought of abandoning the Aeldari of this universe and simply leaving with Axis had crossed his mind before he had even finished the question.
"If you come to my world, I will naturally arrange a proper home for you," Axis said, "A star system comparable in scale to the galaxy, your kind would be free to grow and flourish there as they see fit."
The Aeldari reproduced at an agonizingly slow rate.
Over the course of sixty million years, without the aid of cloning or the grotesque methods that had produced the twisted Drukhari, they had never even managed to fill a single galaxy.
A star system of that size would be more than sufficient for their civilization to develop, and with the Warp now reshaped, the Aeldari were no longer the immortal beings they had once been.
Like humans, their souls would be reborn.
Ynnead considered in silence for a long moment, and then yielded. "That is a profoundly generous invitation, Lord Axis. To refuse it would be a great waste. I accept. I will serve as Lord of the Underworld in your cosmos."
Axis smiled. "I knew you would agree. The Life Goddess of your universe is already there, and our world has its own Aeldari as well. You will not be without familiar company."
The relocation of this universe's Aeldari would also benefit humanity. With the Aeldari gone, the 40K Emperor could lay full and uncontested claim to the Webway.
"I will bring all the Craftworld Aeldari, the Exodites, and the members of the Harlequins with me," Ynnead said. "And may I also bring Cegorach, the Laughing God?"
In the eyes of the Aeldari deities, it was the Craftworld Aeldari, the Exodites, the Harlequins, and the followers of the Death God who had remained true to their race's spirit, those who still stood against Slaanesh and held to the values of their people.
As for the Drukhari, those who had sunk fully into depravity and torture, whose every waking thought was consumed by twisted schemes and perverse appetites, they were Slaanesh's worshippers in all but name. He would not reach out his hand to save them. Let them perish in the darkness of this universe where they belonged.
"No objections," Axis said, "but you must move quickly. I intend to depart before long."
Once the Emperor had finished his business, there would be little else for either of them to do in this universe. The 40K Emperor had been restored, and the rest was for him to manage.
"I will act with all urgency," Ynnead said, and then paused. "Before you leave, Lord Axis, how do you intend to deal with the four Chaos Gods that remain in this universe?"
"I do not plan to intervene," Axis replied, shaking his head. "Whatever fate this universe moves toward, let it develop on its own terms. The Dark King has been utterly destroyed, so there will be no extinction-level threat here any longer."
The saying held true, he thought privately. Hardship breeds strength, and ease breeds complacency. The 40K Emperor needed something to occupy him, and four Chaos Gods was as good a challenge as any. Let him spar with them for a few millennia.
In his current state, the Emperor of this universe could defeat any single Chaos God in one-on-one combat, but if all four joined forces, they could still match him. An intricate and delicate balance would naturally take form between them, Axis had no intention of altering this universe's Warp for the present.
He was currently at the level of a universe tier entity. Only when he had touched the threshold of a multiverse-scale existence did Axis intend to make another wish upon the Super Shenron of the Dragon Ball world, specifically for a World Tree.
After that, he would find a way to fold the Warhammer multiverse into it, and in time, perhaps other worlds visited through future crossings could be incorporated as well.
That, however, was a matter for the distant future and not worth dwelling on now.
"Understood, Lord Axis," Ynnead said. "Give me two months, if you are willing."
"Of course. Take the time you need. I will remain here until you are ready."
"Then please allow me to receive you properly, Lord Axis," Ynnead said, his manner warm and reverential. "With the finest wines and delicacies that our people have to offer."
Axis nodded in genuine satisfaction, then reached into his personal dimensional storage and produced a spare God Fruit, which he held out to Ynnead.
The Death God's hands trembled faintly as he received it. The fruit radiated what felt like an inexhaustible tide of divine energy, boundless and ancient.
"The fruit radiates divine life energy without cease," Axis explained, "Keep it close for the time being and let its energy nourish your divine body. Once we arrive in our world, make your way to the Underworld and consume it there. Then create your own Supreme Kai World of the Underworld."
It occurred to him, as he spoke, that the Underworld probably ought to have several Supreme Kais, just as the Daemon Realm did. If the chance arose during future journeys to other universes, it would be worth looking for suitable candidates.
The two months that followed were spent by Axis among the Aeldari while, on the human side of the galaxy, the Grand Supreme Kai Emperor went on the offensive, bringing complete and catastrophic ruin upon the Necrons.
Not a soul in the entire Necron race was capable of standing before the Grand Supreme Kai's might. One by one they fell, until at last the Silent King, Szarekh, became the final Necron to meet his end.
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