"I agree. We should arrange this enhancement," Kasha said. "This pure Warp energy is far superior to that of a naturally awakened psyker."
As a natural-born psyker, she was all too familiar with the risks of wielding psychic power. An ordinary psyker, unlike her, did not inherit the Emperor's bloodline and possess its powerful, sacred psychic might.
Common individuals who used the power of the Warp were accompanied by all manner of risks. The mortals of the Imperium feared psykers for a good reason; they could lose control at any moment. They could erupt into a sudden frenzy and crush your skull, or even transform into a portal of flesh and blood, unleashing hordes of Warp-spawn into realspace.
"I understand," Axis replied, "Let us return now. Guilliman and the others have already departed. We must make haste to Holy Terra."
"Yes, father," Kratos affirmed, "Let us return to Holy Terra and annihilate the traitor Horus once and for all."
With the planting of the Tree of Might's fruit complete, it was indeed time to return to the Throneworld.
Axis nodded.
He collected all the fruit from the hollow of the tree, then boarded a transport craft back to the Solus Prime. Kratos, in turn, returned to his own flagship, the Golden King, the battleship built for him by Solus Prime. The vessel was slightly smaller than the Solus Prime, somewhat weaker in combat power, and lacked its transformative capabilities.
The ship's design was spherical, a shape far more suited for traversing the cosmos than the rectangular hulls favored by the Imperium. After returning to her vessel, Kasha went immediately to the ship's center to begin navigating the Warp. The warships of the father and son tore through the veil of reality together, entering the tumultuous tides of the Immaterium.
Alone in his chambers, Axis sat cross-legged, his soul reaching out to commune with Khorne. The final battle was about to begin.
Soon, the consciousness of the Chaos God Khorne established a link with Axis.
"You've finally contacted me, my friend," Khorne boomed with excitement, "I watched the entire process of you planting that tree. It was truly magnificent! And it genuinely contains psychic energy. I am growing ever more expectant of the divine fruit we will create together."
When Axis had planted the Tree of Might in realspace, Khorne could not see. But this final time, the one he had just witnessed, the tree had absorbed a great many daemons from the Warp.
Furthermore, the planet where Axis had planted the last seed was already thoroughly corrupted by the powers of Chaos, having become a daemon world. A great sacrifice was underway on that world, where a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh was performing its ritual of ascension. Axis had eliminated the depraved servant of Slaanesh, an act that had greatly pleased Khorne.
The greatest surprise, however, was when the Tree of Might fully matured and yielded an incredibly pure and potent form of Warp energy. It proved that such fruit could indeed grow within the Immaterium, or at the very least, absorb its power.
"It was indeed spectacular," Axis said, "The fruit's effect is extremely powerful. However, the Warp energy of the four of you will not suffice. Your energies are suffused with extreme emotions, a malicious and negative force that must first be purified."
To him, the four Chaos Gods were like four gargantuan, incomparably foul clumps of filth polluting the great ocean of the Warp, tainting all its pure waters.
After consuming the fruit from the Tree of Might, Axis had gained the purest form of Warp energy. It was a power without alignment, belonging to neither evil nor order, but a force of pure, untainted Chaos.
"Hahaha! You finally see the truth in my words," Khorne bellowed, "If you had tried to plant that divine tree in my own realm before, you can well imagine the outcome."
The worst-case scenario would have been the tree becoming utterly corrupted by the Blood God's power, saturated with his terrible rage.
However, Khorne did not agree with Axis's assessment of them as filth. They were simply the most extreme emotions born from the life within realspace. Without the evil thoughts generated by countless mortal beings, they would never have come into existence.
So, rather than saying the four of them had polluted the Warp, it was more accurate to say that the living beings of the material universe had collectively defiled it with their own vile, immoral and depraved thoughts.
"Let us not dwell on that," Axis said, changing the subject, "How are our plans proceeding? What is the situation with Horus?"
The Emperor's ascension to the Golden Throne was inevitable.
There was nothing he could do to stop it, but he could at least mitigate the Imperium's losses and try to save all the primarchs.
"I have arranged everything," Khorne assured him, "The news that you left Holy Terra to plant your trees has been spread far and wide. Horus has now gathered his entire Chaos fleet and legions of daemons, and is leading them in a final assault on Holy Terra."
This time, he and Axis were working in concert to trap not only the Warmaster, but also the Dark King upon the Golden Throne.
"Good," Axis replied, "I will arrive at the battlefield at the critical moment. There can be no mistakes in the meantime." He knew his timing had to be perfect.
"You cannot be in two places at once, Brother Axis," Khorne cautioned, "When the Emperor and Horus face each other, you must enter the Warp. It will be your only opportunity. You should let someone else handle rescuing Gulliman."
"I have already considered this," Axis said, "I will send my son, Kratos, in my stead. When the time comes, I need you to keep an eye on him. If any harm comes to my son, I will not hesitate to flip the table."
"Rest assured, it will be handled. I will be your inside man on this one," Khorne declared, pounding his chest. Kratos's combat prowess was formidable, especially with his ability to multiply his power a hundredfold.
To deal with him, Horus would need to unleash his full strength, and the four Chaos Gods would need to lend their full support.
Looking at Khorne's confident declaration, Axis sighed and could not help but remark, "Sometimes, I truly suspect you are Tzeentch in disguise."
The Khorne he had first interacted with was a true warrior, with the heart and pride of one. But after their deeper exchanges, Axis had discovered that the Blood God was also a cunning schemer.
"Hahaha! I am indeed a proud warrior, but I am also a Chaos God! You did not think Chaos Gods were righteous and honorable, did you?" Khorne laughed. "Treachery and cunning are our hallmarks. If I were not treacherous and cunning, how could I have survived this long? It is just that Tzeentch happens to be particularly adept in those areas." He was the Lord of Battle, and war itself was rife with schemes, deceptions, and betrayals. Underestimating the oldest and most primal of the Chaos Gods would be a grave mistake.
"Let us plan this carefully," Axis said, and he began to lay out his strategy. "At the right time, it will go like this... and then... I will enter the Warp, unseen by anyone, and execute the substitution."
"No problem. You can leave it to me," Khorne replied. "By the way, what of the Eldar's Laughing God? Have you managed to deal with him yet?"
"I am about to speak with him in detail," Axis explained, "To ensure he trusts me, you must be present. Otherwise, he would never agree to such a mad plan. You know how cowardly that creature is."
The Laughing God, Tzeentch, and the Emperor were often called the galaxy's three great schemers. Yet, of the three, Cegorach was the weakest and the most timid. He spent all his time hiding in the Webway, never daring to venture out or face Slaanesh alone.
If Axis presented the plan by himself, the Harlequin god would think him insane and refuse to help, even to save his own pantheon's goddess of life. He needed an intermediary, and that intermediary would be Khorne.
"Sure," Khorne agreed. "I will hide myself for now. If he senses my presence, the fool will be scared to death." The Chaos God then concealed his spiritual essence within Axis.
"Stay hidden," Axis instructed, "I am about to enter the Webway. We are going to give our clown a big surprise."
'Dearest friend! I've brought a Chaos God to visit. Open the door!'
Ending his communion with Khorne, Axis immediately went to the ship's bridge and contacted Cassandra.
After a brief discussion, Cassandra accompanied him aboard a small craft, which temporarily exited the Warp lane.
They entered the nearest section of the Webway and, under the guidance of Eldar Harlequins, made their way towards the Black Library.
After navigating the complex corridors of the hidden realm, Axis, carrying a sliver of Khorne's essence, successfully arrived at his destination.
The Laughing God himself came to greet them, leading Axis into his personal palace.
"My dear Lord Axis," the god chimed, his voice a mask of mirth, "Your power has grown even stronger. What matter brings you to me today? Do you require my assistance?"
"I came today," Axis began with a smile, "primarily to introduce you to a friend." He then released the hidden essence of Khorne he carried with him.
A deep, blood-chilling voice echoed in the chamber. "Hello there."
"Oh! You... you... AAAAHHH!"
Upon seeing Khorne, the clown let out a scream of pure terror.
...
..
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ps? it's 200 ps per bonus chapter!