Guided by the two Goddesses, Axis finally arrived before the Divine Tree he had been yearning for. Hanging from its branches were nine massive fruits, each shimmering with a kaleidoscopic radiance.
These God Fruits exuded an inexhaustible divine aura and a terrifyingly potent life force, signaling that they had finally reached maturity.
Axis could sense that the divine power within the fruit was incredibly pure, completely untouched by the foul influence of the Warp.
While the two Goddesses were capable of purifying the energy of the Immaterium to an extent, any fruit they grew normally would still be laced with trace amounts of psychic residue. The most obvious example was the fruit of the Tree of Might that Axis had previously planted with Kasha on a Chaos-corrupted world.
That contamination was usually unavoidable, yet these fruits held only the purest divine essence. It was clear that the Grand Minister had performed a specialized ritual on the tree.
The intervention appeared to be entirely beneficial.
Under normal circumstances, this tree would have produced three fruits at most. Now, there were nine, and the concentrated divine and life energies they contained had reached a staggering peak.
"That individual came here and infused the planet with a colossal amount of divine energy," Aisha and Isha explained with a hint of helplessness. "Because of him, the fruits that should have taken thousands of years to grow have matured instantly. However, he forbade us from harvesting them.
"He said they could only be picked upon your return and placed a barrier here that none of us could bypass. He insisted that only the true master could claim them."
Had it not been for the barrier erected by that terrifying Grand Minister, they would have harvested and consumed the fruits long ago.
Khorne, in particular, had only entered an alliance with Axis and provided his unwavering support specifically to obtain this divine fruit.
"This is a good thing," Axis said with a nod. "The fruits have reached full maturity, and they are far more perfect than the originals, not to mention more numerous."
With the increased yield, Axis could distribute the fruit to more followers.
Originally, he had only intended for himself, the Emperor, and Khorne to partake. Now, with six additional fruits, he planned to elevate his son Kratos, his wife Kasha, and the two Goddesses.
As for the Grand Minister's barrier, Axis recalled the divine crystal the entity had left him. That object would easily dissolve the seal.
"It is indeed a fortunate turn of events," Khorne rumbled, "But the changes he wrought upon our world did not stop there. He harbored a profound loathing for the Warp and us Ruinous Powers."
The power displayed by that visitor from another world was utterly harrowing. It was not a force they could hope to oppose; to them, he was as a Chaos God might appear to a mere mortal.
As the most powerful of the four Chaos Gods, Khorne had felt true despair for the first time.
Even when facing the strengthened Axis, Khorne had never truly despaired, believing that once he obtained a divine body, he might yet rival him. But the Grand Minister was something else entirely.
"What exactly did he do to the Immaterium?" Axis asked. "He didn't actually destroy the Warp, did he? And what of the other Chaos Gods?"
"Though that man showed no outward malice, he interfered extensively," the Emperor's consciousness projected into Axis's mind. "We must find a way to counter such power. Otherwise, if he develops even a slight grievance against our world, we will have no means of resistance."
Beside him, Kasha nodded in silent agreement with her father's assessment. While the visitor had been superficially polite, he never sought their permission for his actions.
Kasha had sensed that he looked upon them as one might look at a colony of ants, insignificant and beneath notice.
"That being, the one called the Grand Minister, visited us before descending into the heart of the Warp," the Emperor continued, "He wore an expression of total disgust for the life forms and the nature of the Immaterium. He simply snapped his fingers. Do you know what happened?
"Eighty percent of the daemons in the Warp were purified out of existence in an instant. The Immaterium is practically a void now. If your Divine Tree and the fruits hadn't been tethered to the Warp, I suspect he would have unmade the entire dimension rather than just clearing out the majority of its inhabitants."
The power was incomprehensible.
The Emperor had once feared the power of the Dark King, yet that entity had been defeated by Axis. This Grand Minister, however, had erased eighty percent of all daemons with a single gesture, leaving no trace behind.
"So, what happened to the Chaos Gods? Beyond Khorne, what of the other three?" Axis inquired.
He felt no sympathy for the daemons of the Warp. They existed solely to devour the souls of the living, they were parasites and cosmic filth.
Axis wouldn't have minded if the Grand Minister had erased all of them. Even without the Minister's help, Axis had planned to purge the Warp himself. He had once promised Kasha that he would one day clear the Immaterium of its foulness.
"The daemons were monsters, so their destruction is a blessing, but it is the lack of any ability to resist that haunts me," Khorne admitted. "As for the other gods, the Minister initially intended to kill them outright. However, because the Chaos Gods are deeply woven into the fabric of the Warp, he realized that killing them would require destroying the dimension itself.
"Since we four are bound to the Immaterium, he chose another path. Except for me, the other three Ruinous Powers have been sealed. The seals are absolute; they can no longer influence realspace in any capacity, even if the Warp provides them with endless energy.
"Now, only minor Unaligned daemons can manifest. He even sealed my godhood. Currently, I possess only my own body and soul. In a strict sense, I am no longer a Chaos God."
Khorne suspected he only survived the encounter because he had been touched by Axis's Ki, giving him a loose connection to the the saiyan. The Grand Minister had made his revulsion toward the four gods quite clear.
Axis nodded. It was a ruthless solution.
If they could not be killed without collateral damage, they would be silenced forever. Axis doubted he could break a seal placed by the Grand Minister unless he used the divine crystal he had been gifted.
However, even if the crystal could undo the seal, Axis had no intention of doing so. Tzeentch, Nurgle, and Slaanesh were much better off behind bars.
"Axis, do not grow too fond of that Grand Minister," the Emperor cautioned. "He repeatedly mentioned bringing an individual named Zeno here to erase our entire universe.
"He is the ultimate transcendence, a being who views the lives of mortals as irrelevant. He simply believes this universe is 'dirty' and should be sanitized."
The Emperor was deeply troubled by the Minister's philosophy.
To such a being, a loyal subject of the Imperium and a daemon of the Warp were the same: a stain to be wiped away.
"He told us he would discuss the matter with you," Kasha added, "He said if you agreed, he would bring the Lord Zeno to erase our world."
Though the Grand Minister had provided significant "help," his actions mirrored those of the Dark King. Both sought the ultimate end of their reality.
"I understand. Rest easy," Axis reassured them. "I have made certain deals with the supreme authorities of that world. The Grand Minister will not step foot in our universe again, and our world is no longer slated for erasure."
It was a matter of being the smaller fish in a vast pond. When a being possesses the power to delete a universe, they don't bother with diplomacy.
Compared to the Grand Minister, Axis knew his own strength was still insufficient. He couldn't even guarantee a victory over Beerus yet, and above Beerus stood the Angels, Zeno's guards, and Zalama the Dragon God.
"Axis, do you have any hope of contending with him?" the Emperor asked. "I can sense that your power has surpassed its previous limits."
"I wouldn't focus on retaliation," Axis said with a faint smile, holding out his hand to manifest a surge of violet energy. "Truthfully, I have changed immensely. Even if the Dark King were to manifest in his complete form today, he would be no match for me. I could erase him with ease. In fact, I could destroy this entire universe if I wished."
The moment the Energy of Destruction appeared, Kasha remained calm, but the two Supreme Kais, the Emperor, and Khorne felt an indescribable sense of suffocation.
The aura of annihilation coming from that energy was overwhelming.
"What is this?" Khorne asked, his voice low. "I sense nothing but pure ruin in that energy."
"It is called the Power of Destruction, the signature energy of the supreme Gods of Destruction from my world. I mentioned my plan to master this power before, as it was the only way to ensure the Dark King's defeat. During my journey home, I successfully learned to harness it."
He explained that this energy was distinct from Divine Power, Ki, or Warp energy. It was a force of absolute erasure that could break down any matter.
"Incredible," the Emperor remarked. "So the Grand Minister is a deity from your home reality. No wonder he favored you and lent us his aid."
"If that's the case," Isha, the first Supreme Kai, mused, "Is this Lord Zeno also a God of Destruction? If the Grand Minister wanted him to erase our universe, does that mean Zeno is the ultimate destroyer?"
"Axis told me once that Zeno is the supreme authority over all existence," Khorne interjected. "He can erase entire universes on a whim, and not just one or two. I used to think a God of Destruction was a peer to us, but clearly, I was mistaken."
Early in their alliance, Khorne and Axis had discussed the hierarchy of the Dragon Ball multiverse, and Axis had provided a detailed overview.
"I see," the Emperor said. "Then Axis, how far are you from the Grand Minister? Is there any hope of catching up to him?"
"Regrettably," Axis admitted, "the gap between me and the Grand Minister is comparable to the gap between a single Space Marine and a Chaos God. The Grand Minister's children, the Angels like Whis, can train Gods of Destruction in batches.
"To an Angel, a God of Destruction is little more than a child. The Grand Minister is the father of all Angels. He belongs to a race that transcends the multiversal scale. Some even believe he is the true power behind the throne, while Zeno is merely the administrative figurehead."
"What?" The Emperor found this difficult to swallow. "The disparity is that vast?"
"It is. But as I said, there is no need to worry. So long as I do not open a dimensional rift, they have no way to cross into our world."
"That is the only piece of good news today," Khorne said, "You must understand, being viewed as ants with no recourse is an intolerable position. Unless you can truly stand equal to him, I suggest you never return to your home world again."
The encounter with the Grand Minister had left Khorne traumatized. His fellow gods had been erased or sealed, and the experience had left a permanent shadow on his mind.
"That won't be possible, as I have my own arrangements. But for now, let us distribute our spoils," Axis said, smiling.
Using the divine crystal, he dissolved the barrier around the Divine Tree and harvested the nine fruits.
He gave one to Khorne, as per their original agreement. Two were given to the Life Goddesses, one for the original Isha and one for the Isha of the future.
He handed one fruit to Kratos and another to Kasha.
While Kasha was not yet ready to absorb a full fruit, Axis planned to take her to his world later to learn the secrets of Ki. Kratos, however, was prepared.
He gave one fruit to the Emperor and kept one for himself.
This left two spare fruits, which Axis placed in storage for future needs. With the distribution finished, Khorne took his leave.
The pressure from the Grand Minister had spurred the Blood God into a rare state of urgency; he wanted to consume the fruit immediately to restore his power to its peak.
Axis, Kratos, and the two Supreme Kais consumed their fruits together. The transformation was most immediate in the Life Goddesses.
As personifications of the laws of life and current apprentices, the fruits, supercharged by the Grand Minister's life-giving energy, caused their divinity to sublimate.
They evolved into full Supreme Kais, gaining the power to create planets and seed life throughout the cosmos.
Axis also felt his power surge. Unlike the others, his body already contained Destruction Energy, Ki, and divine power.
The fruit doubled his divine reserves and granted him a portion of the Supreme Kais' creative abilities, allowing him to create worlds as well as destroy them.
Kratos's physique evolved into a true Divine Body.
His strength reached the level Axis had possessed before his trip to the Dragon Ball universe, finally putting him at the threshold where he could begin training in the Power of Destruction.
As the four of them underwent their transformations, the Emperor watched with profound anticipation.
He looked forward to seeing what changes the fruit would bring to him. Rising from the Golden Throne was only the beginning; he felt his power was about to experience a true leap into the divine.