Axis had been probing Kairos all along, so he had a firm grasp on the god's intentions. During the conversation just now, the slightest slip from Kairos would not have escaped his notice.
"Don't sell yourself short, Lady Athena. You hold the most powerful weapon in this world. You simply haven't realized it yet," Kairos said.
Honestly, why did the God-Slaying Power have to rest in the hands of a girl like this? Did she have any idea what kind of weapon she possessed?
"The most powerful weapon? What do you mean?" Athena furrowed her brow and turned to Kairos.
What was he referring to? Her God Cloth? The Staff of Nike? The Shield of Athena? Or something else entirely?
"Your Pegasus, of course. Surely you didn't think I meant your Staff of Nike or your Shield of Athena? Or perhaps that little god-killing dagger of yours." Kairos's soul spoke with undisguised contempt.
In his eyes, Athena's equipment was utterly unremarkable.
They were merely the possessions of a Primary God. He wouldn't even spare a glance at the divine artifacts of an Absolute God.
"Enough with the suspense, Kairos. Let me be the one to tell Athena." Axis chose to lay everything out in the open, and he relayed every piece of intelligence regarding the God-Slaying Power to Athena without holding anything back.
"That... how is that possible? The Pegasus constellation holds such terrifying power? You can't be serious. Kairos, how could Pegasus possibly be that formidable?" Athena's face was etched with shock.
A force that was the sole thing in this world capable of harming a Transcendent God. Pegasus was truly that terrifying.
"That's right, Athena. However, the current Pegasus has only begun to tap into this power. You need to have him slay more gods, enough to offer up all the Olympian gods as sacrifices. After that, have him kill at least two Absolute Gods, and his power will grow strong enough to threaten even a Transcendent God.
"The God-Slaying Power grows stronger with every deity it claims. It cannot be gained through training, nor can it be seized through any other means. That god-killing dagger you created is essentially a manifestation of one facet of Pegasus's power. So let us join forces. When the time comes, I can also guarantee you a seat among the Absolute Gods," Kairos said.
Athena furrowed her brow upon hearing this and began to consider the feasibility of the plan. Truthfully, reaching the level of a Primordial God with Axis's help had already been an extraordinary stroke of fortune.
Breaking through further to become an Absolute God was something she had never dared to imagine before, yet now the opportunity seemed to be laid right before her, waiting only for her to reach out and grasp it.
But was it really that simple? If so, then why not cultivate Pegasus herself?
What role did Kairos actually play in this? From start to finish, the ones making all the sacrifices were Axis and herself.
Or perhaps Axis had his own agenda. Athena's gaze shifted to Axis, and the mind of the Goddess of Wisdom began to race, dissecting his intentions.
Wait. Athena's eyes swept over Axis, and something caught her attention.
There was an immense power of the Underworld Lord radiating from Axis, yet before his departure, this power had not existed at all. Moreover, by all logic, after Hades' death, the entire Underworld and Elysion should have collapsed and vanished.
But none of that had happened. In fact, through her divine sense, she could perceive that the Underworld had not only persisted but had grown even vaster and more stable. Elysion continued to exist as well.
So Axis had, through some means, taken Hades' place. He had acquired everything Hades once possessed, or more precisely, he had seized Hades' power outright.
The realization struck Athena in an instant. Axis must possess some method of claiming another being's power for his own, and that was why he had agreed to help this so-called God of Time.
And Axis's true objective was to kill Kairos just as he had killed Hades. So that was it. That was what Axis was after.
"I understand, Kairos. I am Axis's wife now, so I will respect my husband's decision. Since he has chosen to help you, I have nothing more to say," Athena declared.
"Ha ha ha! A wise choice, Athena. This is the correct decision the two of you have made. We will certainly succeed. First, I need a suitable physical body." Kairos swept his powerful divine sense across the entirety of Sanctuary, then suddenly locked onto a single figure.
Incredible. Truly incredible. As a Transcendent God of this universe, Kairos had encountered countless powerful beings, but not a single god had possessed a physical body stronger than this one. Even the one called Axis, whose body was formidable beyond measure, fell just slightly short by comparison.
It was perfection. He had no idea where this being had come from, but his body was absolutely the strongest. Any god who discovered it would never let it slip away.
Axis, too, realized who Kairos had selected. The bastard certainly knew how to pick.
"There happens to be a perfectly suitable body right here. It's mine." Kairos moved to rush out and seize Ultraman's body, but Axis blocked him with a burst of Cosmo.
Ultraman had only submitted because Axis's vast power helped him maintain his strength and shielded him from the effects of yellow solar radiation. Axis intended to cultivate him properly.
He was not about to hand him over to Kairos. A Kryptonian body was absurdly overpowered. There was no telling what might happen if Kairos took it over.
In terms of raw physical might alone, that body was fully on par with Axis's own divine physique. Its only weakness was that yellow stellar radiation could disrupt its cellular force field.
"Why are you stopping me? This body is perfect for me, my ally. If I obtain it, I can wield the power of a Primary God. I could even fight alongside you." Kairos was visibly displeased at being held back.
"Absolutely not. He's my subordinate. I'm not about to hand over the life of someone under my command." Axis shook his head.
"Don't be so stingy. I can put this body to far better use than he can."
"If you take over his body, my subordinate dies. I'll clone one for you instead. Just be patient for a while," Axis said.
In the main universe, Superman's clone was Bizarro, a monster who possessed an inverted version of Superman's powers. Where Superman had heat vision, Bizarro had freeze vision. Where Superman exhaled gale-force breath, Bizarro inhaled with vacuum force. Where Superman had freeze breath, Bizarro breathed flames. Axis was curious to see what would happen if he used the cloning technology to produce a body based on this version of Superman.
Before leaving the Dragon Ball universe, Axis had made a special trip to Dr. Gero's laboratory. It was not the one from the main universe but rather one Axis had obtained from a parallel universe, a world belonging to one of the theatrical films. Altering the course of history there would have no real consequences.
From that place, he had acquired several remarkable things, including the methods for creating Androids.
The most notable among them were the infinite energy models used for Androids 17 and 18, the purely mechanical design of Android 16, and the reconstructed models of Androids 19 and 20, as well as Androids 13, 14, and 15.
Beyond all of that, he had also packed up and taken the intelligent mechanical computer and cloning equipment capable of producing Cell.
Cloning a body based on Ultraman using Cell's cloning apparatus would not be a problem.
"A clone? That is an interesting idea, but are you certain it will work?" Kairos asked.
"Of course. You just need to wait a while. Once the clone body is ready, I'll transfer your soul into it and let the clone begin to grow. It will essentially be a body created for you, one that will develop in tandem with your Cosmo. It will suit you far better." Axis explained.
"Then I am reassured, my ally. I look forward to your good news. For now, I need to continue strengthening my divine power." With that, Kairos retreated into a secluded corner of Athena's temple. Axis had just provided him with a small amount of Primordial divine power, and he needed to absorb it carefully, converting every bit into his own temporal divine power.
Axis and Athena exchanged a glance, then stepped outside the temple together. Axis erected a divine barrier to prevent their conversation from leaking out.
"It seems you've already figured things out," Axis said, looking at Athena.
"Naturally. I am the Goddess of Wisdom, after all. You intend to seize his temporal divine power, don't you?"
"Sharp as ever. No wonder you've managed to outwit Hades and Poseidon so many times." Axis did not bother hiding it from Athena and stated his intentions plainly. "You're right. That's exactly what I'm planning. But I need his strength to reach the Primordial God level first. Only then can I take him down and claim his power."
"Your ability is truly extraordinary. No wonder you wield such terrifying power. Very well, I'll help you. But tell me, do you also want the God-Slaying Power of Pegasus?" Athena asked.
"Pegasus is your protector. I would never take what belongs to my woman. That's not how I do things." Axis pulled Athena into his arms and smiled.
As a powerful deity, Axis had his own pride. He conducted himself with clear principles and boundaries. The Saiyan temperament and pride in his blood would never allow him to stoop so low.
"I can tell you're a proud god. I knew it the moment I first laid eyes on you. That's precisely why I chose you. However, if you do want the God-Slaying Power of Pegasus, the one under my command won't do. But if it were a Pegasus from another reality, that would be a different story entirely." A small smile played at the corner of Athena's lips.
"So you're suggesting I go after a Pegasus Saint from another universe."
"Exactly. Now that I've reached the Primordial God level, I can sense the other versions of myself across different universes. Most of them are at the Primary God level, some stronger, some weaker. Among all of them, I am the only one who has stepped into the Primordial God realm. But there is one other who has half a foot across the threshold." Athena spoke carefully.
In theory, once a god reached the Primordial God realm, they could sense their counterparts across worlds. When their power ascended further to the peak of the Primordial God level, approaching the Absolute God tier, the next step was to subsume all of their other-universe selves. Every other version was merely an offshoot; only the one who broke through to Absolute God status would be the true Athena.
Originally, the version with half a foot in the Primordial God realm was supposed to be the true main body, and all the other Athenas were nothing more than sacrificial pawns. Their fates were predetermined: to be killed by the God of Darkness, just as Axis and Kairos had described.
Once every other Athena was eliminated, the sole survivor would become the definitive original of them all.
Athena gave Axis a thorough briefing on the situation. In short, she refused to be a mere offshoot. She intended to become the true main body.
To accomplish that, she had to do one thing: defeat the strongest original and truly replace her, becoming the one and only Athena, the sole Goddess of War and Wisdom in the Saint world.
"I see. So you want me to fight a multiversal war with you?" Axis rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Exactly. That's precisely what I have in mind. The version of me that has half a foot in the Primordial God realm... her Pegasus Saint has already surpassed every Gold Saint in history. He currently serves as the Sagittarius Gold Saint. If you kill him, you can claim his God-Slaying Power." Athena spoke with calm conviction.
It was a plan that killed two birds with one stone. She would eliminate her strongest rival and claim her place as the true original, while Axis would obtain the God-Slaying Power.
"That's actually a brilliant plan. Since you've laid it all out like that, I accept." Axis thought it over for a moment, then nodded.
The version of Athena that had half a foot in the Primordial God realm, the one who essentially functioned as the original among all Athenas, had to be the Athena of the Omega world, if he was not mistaken.
The flow of time between the worlds was slightly different. On their side, the battle against Hades had only just concluded, yet the other world had already evolved to the Omega stage.
That world's Pegasus technically had two bearers. One was the protagonist, Kōga, and the other was Seiya, who served as the Sagittarius Gold Saint.
Come to think of it, in that world's final battle, Kōga had awakened the highest level of Omega and fought the incarnation of a Transcendent God to a standstill. That was solidly at the level of a top-tier universal combatant.
Though temporary, the Omega was formidable, and it might be something worth getting his hands on as well. Then again, the power levels in that other world were honestly absurd.
The Gold Saints there all possessed the Seventh Sense, but any one of them could surge to the level of a Secondary or even a Tertiary God at any given moment. That was to say nothing of what happened once they awakened the Omega. And beyond all of that, entering that world clearly meant a confrontation with the Transcendent God Saturn. That was a problem in itself.
"You possess the ability to cross into other parallel universes. This is our chance to take the offensive. This time, we'll be the invaders." Athena smiled.
Fate was a peculiar thing. Had she never met Axis, had his machinations not helped her break through to the Primordial God level, she would never have sensed her counterparts across the other universes. She would never have become the first Athena to know the full truth.
And Axis possessed the ability to traverse worlds. Without that ability, they could never have launched a preemptive strike.
"This will need careful planning. First, I have to retrieve my companion. I also intend to elevate Ultraman to godhood," Axis said.
The Emperor had crossed over into this world as well. It was time to bring him back. Ultraman's power was also crucial.
If Axis raised him to the Secondary God level, the combat strength he could bring to bear would rival that of a Primordial God.
He would be an immensely powerful asset. And during the process of bestowing divinity upon him, Axis could also make a few subtle adjustments to ensure absolute control over this proud villainous Superman.
"Your friend? You have another companion here? What kind of being are they?" Athena asked with open curiosity.
"He possesses creative power similar to mine. When he uses his power, his entire body radiates golden light, and his energy carries a sacred quality. Like me, he also hasn't yet awakened a Divine Cosmo." Axis explained.
In truth, he had only been in this world for two days. On the night of his arrival, the Battle of the Twelve Zodiac Temples had broken out.
He fought through the night, successfully awakened his Divine Cosmo, and then defeated Hades the following day. That brought him to the present moment.
"If that's the case, he should be relatively easy to find in our world. Shall I help?" Athena offered.
"No need. I can pinpoint his location at any time."
He ignited his Divine Cosmo to its fullest, channeling his divine power and expanding his sensory range without limit.
In mere moments, Axis had locked onto the Emperor's precise location. The Emperor was not in good shape. Upon arriving in this world, he had experienced the same phenomenon as Axis: the divine power within his body had grown volatile and unstable. However, the Emperor had endured the trial of the Golden Throne, and that resilience allowed him to suppress the turmoil.
At present, the Emperor was hiding inside a mountain cave, exerting every ounce of willpower to restrain his own power. He appeared to be waiting for rescue.
After observing the Emperor's condition, Axis did not hesitate for even an instant. He teleported to the Emperor's side immediately.
"Axis, you brat, you finally showed up. What the hell happened? You tossed me into another world, and then some unknown force dragged me here. After that, my divine power started going haywire." Upon seeing Axis again, the Emperor was mildly irritated but undeniably relieved.
"It's a long story. But first, let me help you awaken your Divine Cosmo. With your strength, you should be able to reach at least the early Primordial God level," Axis said.