When Axis heard Russ's words, his heart instantly sank.
He couldn't help but curse silently:
'Are you kidding me? You want me to fight the strongest human in history—the Emperor?
'Sure, the Emperor hadn't yet ascended the Golden Throne, nor become the Supreme God-Emperor capable of wounding Nurgle himself.
But he was still the single most powerful human being in all of history. And there are no exceptions.
Looking over the Emperor's legendary feats, the only words that come to mind are "extravagant" and "unbelievable."
The Emperor's first claim to fame was sealing away a fragment of the C'tan, specifically, the Void Dragon.
According to the records, a knight clad in golden armor and wielding a sacred sword defeated the evil dragon and sealed it beneath Mars.
Later, in the Rangdan Xenocides, the Emperor brought the Void Dragon out of the Noctis Labyrinth, utterly crushed the Xenos of Rangdan, and turned the tide in humanity's war against them.
Although none of this had happened yet, the Rangdan Xenocides hadn't even started, from these legends alone, Axis could deduce just how terrifying the Emperor's power truly was.
What level of being was the Void Dragon?
Once released, it could destroy the tomb worlds of several Necron dynasties. Destroying an entire planet was just a casual gesture for it; it could even extinguish a whole star.
The fact that the Emperor could defeat the Void Dragon in direct combat meant his strength had already reached an unimaginable level.
The Emperor's true power probably rivaled, or even surpassed, Lord Frieza from the Dragon Ball universe.
'If I could turn into a Super Saiyan, maybe I'd stand a chance. But right now I'm just a little brat, how could I possibly beat him?'
Just as Axis was nervously fretting, the Emperor smiled faintly, a trace of amusement in his voice.
"Oh? You want your adopted son to compete against me in the third round? Are you sure you want to stake your fate on this child?"
Even if it were a fully grown Primarch, the Emperor could deal with him easily. He could beat one with a single hand, if fact.
But Leman Russ just burst out laughing, completely unconcerned. "Hahaha! Stranger, don't underestimate Axis. Or you'll regret it.
"When I was his age, I wasn't nearly as strong as him. My little wolf cub is incredibly powerful. In the whole tribe, besides me, he's the strongest."
Russ's words made the Emperor's expression shift; he narrowed his eyes and studied Axis closely, a flicker of doubt rising in his mind.
Russ claimed this kid's combat power already surpassed Primarchs of the same age? How was that possible?
The Emperor knew better than anyone how powerful the Primarchs were.
He had poured untold effort into their creation, even making deals with the Chaos Gods in the Warp to acquire unimaginable psychic knowledge and fragments of lesser Warp gods' souls, all to finally craft these perfect human demigods.
Even a juvenile Primarch could easily defeat an Eldar warrior(Aeldari), and the strength of an Eldar far surpassed that of a baseline Space Marine.
At just seven years old, a Primarch could already stand over two meters tall. Their physical power completely eclipsed that of the original Space Marines, easily rivaling the Emperor's own Custodes.
And when they grew up a bit more, not even the Custodes could stand against them.
The Custodes were the most perfect human warriors the Emperor had ever created.
Each one was customized with unique augmentations, using bio-alchemy and Dark Age technology to push their genetics as close as possible to the Emperor himself.
The Custodes were the mightiest warriors in the Imperium.
So when Russ claimed that Axis's combat power surpassed even Primarchs of the same age, the Emperor found it almost impossible to believe.
The look he gave Axis now carried a new spark of interest. "If that's true, then I am indeed a bit curious about this child. Very well, I accept this match."
"Hahaha! Did you hear that, my little wolf cub? He's agreed to fight you!" Russ laughed heartily.
Axis glanced helplessly at his adopted father, sighing inwardly.
'You've already talked me up this much, what else can I do? Besides, the Emperor seem to has his eye on me now, so… whatever, let's fight!'
He nodded, putting on a brave face. "Since you say so, Russ, I'll give it a try."
Russ gave him a proud slap on the shoulder. "That's the spirit, little wolf cub!"
Soon, the three of them arrived at the usual training ground where Axis and Russ sparred, a vast, frozen wasteland.
The Emperor noticed the whole area was covered with the scars of fierce battles.
Even some of the nearby mountains had been shattered, and the ground was full of deep craters and uneven terrain, clear evidence of countless brutal fights.
This was no small scuffle; the destruction here was immense!
The Emperor frowned as he surveyed the battlefield, unable to hide a hint of surprise in his heart.
'Interesting. Has humanity really produced such a powerful child naturally?'
Standing to the side, Russ crossed his arms and said with a grin, "Let me make it clear: letting you fight my little wolf cub is just to give you a shot at earning the right to fight me. Even if you win, you still have to face me afterward."
The Emperor nodded, smiling. "Heh, that's fine. I'm rather interested in this child anyway. Show me your strength, boy."
Axis took a deep breath, stepped in front of the Emperor, and took up his fighting stance.
"Attack me with everything you've got. If you can make me take a single step back, I'll count it as your victory.
"And I promise you, I won't let you get hurt in this fight." The Emperor stood there, hands clasped behind his back.
Hearing this, Axis nodded.
Instantly, the fighting blood of the Saiyans boiled within him. He unleashed his full ki, body tensed forward, and in a blur he launched himself at the Emperor.
His speed was incredible, and almost in a blink, he was right in front of the Emperor, swinging a punch straight at his chest.
But just as his fist was about to make contact, an invisible force suddenly bounced him back.
Axis felt as if his fist had struck an invisible wall.
The massive rebound sent him flying, and just as he was about to hit the ground, another unseen force caught him, leaving him unharmed.
"What… what was that power?
"That is called psychic power," the Emperor explained, looking at Axis. "Psychic power can do many things, control frost, fire, lightning, or move objects with a thought, even crush things out of thin air.
"It can also form an invisible wall to shield yourself, or, as you just saw, to catch you."
The emperor explained simply for a child to grasp quickly.