In an uncharted star system on the border of the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar, Axis, accompanied by his wife Kasha and their son Kratos, was overseeing the planting of a Tree of Might.
The immense Tree of Might sank its roots deep into the planet's soil and began to consume all life on its surface.
Axis, in turn, continuously infused the tree with his own Ki, forcing it to grow ever more vigorously and accelerating its consumption of the planet's life force.
Across the world, countless Chaos cultists screamed as the Tree's branches pierced their bodies, draining them of all flesh, blood, and soul. But the Tree's harvest was not limited to these mortals. It devoured animals, plants, and even the very essence of a newly opened Warp rift, pulling the daemons within into its insatiable maw.
Several months had passed since the father and son had last trained together. In that time, Axis had journeyed to the four locations assigned to him, planting a Tree of Might on each. All four were worlds that had once belonged to Traitor Primarchs. These Imperial worlds were deemed beyond salvation and had been marked for Exterminatus.
Axis felt no hesitation in carrying out this cleansing, planting the seeds of the great trees without a second thought. The first three plantings had been routine, but the fourth planet presented a challenge.
This last world, the final one to receive a Tree of Might, was situated on the very edge of the Five Hundred Worlds of Ultramar. It had a population of roughly ten billion souls. It had previously been conquered by Horus's Luna Wolves and had served as one of his legion's primary recruitment worlds. It was the planet closest to Macragge, intended as the final stop on Axis's journey home.
However, when Axis and his family arrived, they discovered a world utterly corrupted by the forces of Chaos.
Nearly every mortal on the planet had been tainted. Nurgle's plague-ridden faithful, Slaanesh's depraved masochists, Khorne's frenzied berserkers, and Tzeentch's twisted sorcerers ran rampant. Using the flesh and lives of mortals, they had torn open one fleshy Warp portal after another, summoning hordes of daemons to the planet's surface.
Because of this deep-seated Warp corruption, the Tree of Might planted on this world required special attention from Axis. He had to ensure that the tree itself would not be tainted by the powers of Chaos as it grew.
Before even planting the seed, Axis had to expend a vast amount of Ki to shield it from Chaotic energies and ensure it would germinate successfully. Once the tree began to grow, he had to supply even more Ki to purify the foul Warp energy, converting it into a pure life force for the tree to absorb.
All the while, he had to protect it from the daemons roaming the planet. On this final world, Axis even discovered a Daemon Prince in the midst of its final ascension.
The Daemon Prince's luck was poor, for it had encountered the most powerful family in the galaxy.
Axis did not even need to intervene. Kasha and Kratos descended upon the creature and swiftly slew it before its transformation was complete. Because its ascension ritual had been interrupted, the unfortunate creature had no chance to return to the Warp. As for Axis, he remained focused on his task, providing a constant stream of potent Ki to purify the planet's foul and corrupted Warp signature.
The work was incredibly draining.
Only Axis, a legendary Super Saiyan, could withstand such a continuous expenditure of power. If it were anyone from the Dragon Ball world, even the likes of Son Goku or Vegeta, their Ki would have been completely exhausted long before the task was done. This demanding process had slowed the planting of the last four trees considerably.
However, the rewards were proving to be exceptional.
Shielded and cleansed by Axis's Ki, the intensely polluting Warp energies were stripped away. What remained was the purest form of psychic power, a version of Warp energy completely refined by Ki.
The final fruit that grew from the Tree planted on this Chaos-corrupted world was a vibrant crimson, yet it shimmered with a faint, ethereal blue-white glow.
This was the light of perfect Warp energy, a pure power untouched by the taint of the Four Chaos Gods.
After planting the fourth Tree of Might and eradicating the last vestiges of Chaos on the planet, Axis led his wife and son into a hollow at the center of the trunk.
Inside, hundreds of fruits hung from the branches. Axis plucked three of the special crimson fruits, handing one to Kasha and another to Kratos, keeping the last for himself.
The powerful life force and psychic energy contained within these fruits were beneficial even to someone of his stature.
"Try it," Axis said, "The quality should be excellent this time. Our psychic abilities ought to grow even stronger."
The mother and son nodded and took a bite of the fruit. The crimson flesh dissolved the moment it touched their tongues, transforming into a rich tide of life energy that flowed through their limbs.
Beyond that, a stream of pure, unaligned Warp energy was absorbed directly into their souls.
"Father, the taste of this fruit is incredible, no matter how many times I eat it," Kratos exclaimed, devouring the pulp in large bites, "But this one is even more delicious than the others. It's simply amazing." He recalled the first time he had seen his father plant a Tree of Might; the shocking spectacle of an entire planet being consumed by a single tree had been breathtakingly spectacular.
It was just a shame that the effects of the fruit from any given planet only worked the first time.
"Incredible," Kasha said as she opened her eyes. The golden psychic power of the Emperor flared in her gaze, a brilliant flash of light that quickly subsided.
"This energy is so pure. It is not just an increase in quantity, but a leap in quality. I feel as if the very essence of my psychic power has been purified and sublimated. The value of this fruit far exceeds the others."
The effects of this last Tree of Might were unprecedented. Not only had it boosted her life force, but it had also drastically increased the power of her soul. Previously, her soul had required strengthening from Axis's Ki, but now its power had increased by at least thirty percent. This meant she could better wield the sacred psychic abilities inherited from her father, the Emperor.
"Mother is right, Father!" Kratos said excitedly, punching the air and causing a faint crackle of unseen force. The life energy from the fruit nourished his body, making it even more resilient and infusing his muscles with explosive power. But the change on a spiritual level was what truly thrilled him.
"Father, I can 'see' farther now! In the Warp, not with my eyes, but with a sense of the mind! Even the whispers of Chaos, their corrupt energy fluctuations, now seem as obvious as fireflies in the night!"
Kratos experimented by channeling a thread of this new, pure psychic energy into his own power.
The pure golden aura of his Super Saiyan form gained a faint, shimmering blue-white halo at its edges, radiating a sacred and majestic presence.
He now thought he might be able to navigate the Warp like his mother. Perhaps, if he transformed into a Super Saiyan 2, he could even sit upon the Golden Throne and assist his grandfather and his teacher, Magnus.
Axis nodded.
He had consumed his own fruit and felt the changes. The increase in his life force was negligible compared to previous fruits, but the true wonder was the amplification of his soul and psychic abilities. Even his own powers had been noticeably enhanced.
"It seems our theory was correct," Axis said, his voice deep as he analyzed the energy shifting within him, "A planet deeply corrupted by Chaos, while filthy, contains a far greater quantity and concentration of Warp energy than a normal world. When the Tree of Might consumes it entirely, and we use Ki as a medium for aggressive purification, stripping away the foul influence of the four Chaos Gods and retaining only the primordial Warp energy, the resulting fruit contains psychic power that is not only pure, but of an extremely high tier."
"A fruit like this," Axis continued, "could probably only be handled by those with immense power and an unshakable will. Anyone else's soul would likely be shattered by its force."
He now found himself looking forward even more to the fully upgraded "God-fruit" he planned to cultivate with Khorne in his divine realm.
"Father," Kratos said after a moment, a new idea sparking in his mind, "I think if we diluted this fruit, talented members of the Legion might be able to awaken their psychic powers with it."
This was entirely feasible.
A fruit grown from a world infected by Chaos, yet purified, possessed both life energy and psychic power. It could strengthen both body and soul, awakening a person's connection to the Warp and turning them into a psyker. In other words, it could create Legion Librarians.
Axis's eyes lit up at the suggestion. The method was not only viable but would produce Librarians who were far safer.
Their psychic abilities would be purer, completely untouched by the taint of the Four.
"That's an excellent idea," Axis said with a nod, "We will find someone to test it on when we return."
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