Axis felt the surging power and the heightened state of being within his body, yet he did not allow himself to fully relax.
He estimated that his current strength was likely on par with that of Beerus. Furthermore, he now possessed the essence of a Supreme Kai, an addition most likely granted by the Fruit of the Gods.
Several powerful and fresh ripples of divine energy pulsed across the surface of the Domain of Life. Kratos was busy familiarizing himself with his own skyrocketing strength, while Aisha and Isha attempted to channel their newly acquired divine power.
By expending their divine essence, they could now easily bring an entire planet into existence and create life forms according to their will.
As Goddesses of Life, they had long desired to create life through their own means, and this moment felt like the fulfillment of a long-held dream.
They mused that following Lord Axis had truly been the correct choice.
Their current level of power and status was no longer inferior to that of the Old Ones. They were now the true sovereigns capable of sowing life and order throughout the galaxy.
More accurately, they were creators destined to bring the universe back toward a state of Order. Upon becoming true Supreme Kais, they gained a specific ability.
The ability to appoint certain living beings as Planetary Gods, granting those individuals the power to govern entire worlds.
In addition to this, they could appoint five Kais within a sector: the North, South, East, and West Kais, presided over by a Grand Kai.
While this process required them to expend a portion of their divine energy, that energy would recover rapidly. The two Life Goddesses shared a glance before turning their attention toward Axis.
It was perhaps not an illusion, but after formally becoming Supreme Kais, the bond between them and Axis felt significantly more profound. It no longer felt like the bond between a father and his daughters, but rather a vital, biological tether.
In theory, a Supreme Kai and a God of Destruction existed in a symbiotic relationship. However, Axis was considerably more powerful, and since this universe was not governed by the absolute laws of the Dragon Ball world, they were not strictly bound by the rule where the death of one resulted in the death of the other.
"Lord Axis, we feel as though our connection to you has grown even tighter, though it feels different than before," Aisha remarked.
"It is natural that you feel that way. Gods of Destruction and Supreme Kais are symbiotic by nature. On a fundamental level, they are deities of the same rank, though the God of Destruction typically possesses superior combat capabilities. Conversely, the Supreme Kai holds far greater powers of creation and administration," Axis explained, looking at the two goddesses.
Aside from sheer offensive power, a God of Destruction was inferior to a Supreme Kai in almost every other administrative aspect.
A Supreme Kai possessed the authority to appoint all lesser gods within the universe and manage celestial affairs. In contrast, the God of Destruction had only one mandate: destruction.
"Lord Axis, Isha and I discovered some strange abilities. It seems we can appoint ordinary living beings as gods. It consumes power, but we can definitely do it. We can even appoint gods to oversee death," Aisha said.
Axis laughed and replied that it was no illusion.
A Supreme Kai was the highest-ranking deity in a universe, and tasked with its operation and maintenance, they naturally held the right to appoint subordinate gods.
He told them they could select suitable planets and appoint gods to manage them, provided the planets were either created by their divine power or modified by it.
In the Dragon Ball world, every planet was created by a Supreme Kai or their predecessors. While these two Life Goddesses possessed similar authority, the planets in the Warhammer universe were products of natural formation.
To appoint a Planetary God here, they would either have to create a world from scratch or infuse an existing life-bearing world with their divine essence, effectively branding it with their divine signature.
"Is that truly possible?" Kasha asked as she approached Axis, her face filled with wonder. "Creating a planet and then installing a god to run it sounds an exaggeration. How strong would such a god actually be?"
In the Warhammer universe, gods were usually birthed in the Warp through the collective faith and emotions of various races.
Before Axis arrived, deities with physical, corporeal forms were unheard of. The Emperor had only been able to create the Primarchs, who were essentially secondary, demi-god beings, through complex genetic engineering and occult means.
"It truly is that remarkable," Axis said with a smile. "The gods of the Dragon Ball world are extremely powerful. Above the level of Planetary Gods, the Supreme Kais can even appoint deities for the underworld, such as King Yemma."
The authority of a Supreme Kai was vast, extending to the management of the afterlife. Axis already had a goal in mind for a suitable Netherworld; he planned to utilize the existing Warp.
"Like the Aeldari God of the Dead, Ynnead?" Isha asked.
"No, the situation is entirely different," Axis corrected. "The gods you appoint would not be Warp entities, but mortal beings elevated to godhood.
"They would not necessarily be immortal. For instance, a Planetary God is usually chosen from the virtuous inhabitants of a world. When that god nears the end of their natural lifespan, they can pass their divine spark and position to a chosen successor."
Appointing gods was a meticulous task, and while a deity could technically choose their successor, Supreme Kais usually left such administrative trifles to the lower Kais.
"Appointing a Planetary God would increase a native's life force and physical level by dozens of times," the Life Goddess Isha noted. "Physically, they would roughly reach the level of a Primarch."
Kasha's expression shifted slightly at the mention of that comparison. It seemed that the Primarchs, whom her father had labored so hard to create, were now being used as a mere unit of measurement.
"They would also possess a certain amount of divine energy," Axis added. "Their ultimate strength would depend on their personal discipline and training. If they train hard enough, it is not impossible for them to surpass a Primarch, though a lazy one might end up weaker."
While the power to appoint Gods seemed mighty, in the grand scheme of the Dragon Ball multiverse, it was more of an administrative appointment rather than an elevation to eternal, absolute divinity.
The Emperor's psychic voice then joined the conversation. He observed that if every planet in the galaxy possessed a god with the physical prowess of a Primarch, the collective power would be staggering, especially since they would also wield divine energy.
Although he was anxious for Axis to bring him the Fruit of the Gods, he found himself fascinated by the prospect of this orderly divine hierarchy.
To the Emperor, the divine structure of Axis's world seemed perfect. It was the difference between a land governed by law and a lawless wilderness. He wondered why his own universe had only ever birthed gods of such pure malice.
Axis shrugged at the Emperor's thoughts. The Dragon Ball universe was an anomaly where entities capable of effortlessly killing a Primarch were common.
In Frieza's army, soldiers with power levels in the mere thousands could severely injure a Primarch, provided they utilized Ki.
Axis himself had been able to duel Leman Russ as a youth; now that he was fully matured, dealing with a Primarch required only one hair.
"The Primarchs have been upgraded now," the Emperor countered. "They have become true gods and are certainly not inferior to these Planetary Gods. They should be at the level of Kais at the very least."
Isha mentioned that after becoming a Supreme Kai, she had received some innate knowledge regarding the origin of their race. "Lord Axis, it seems the Kais and Supreme Kais originate from the same race."
Axis shared what he knew about the Shinjin, or Core People. They grew from the fruit of the World Core Trees on a massive planet known as the World Core.
The population was small, with individuals being genderless and living for roughly seventy-five thousand years. They spent their lives in schools learning the duties of the gods. If a Kai died, a new one was selected from among the common Shinjin.
"However," Axis clarified, "Supreme Kais are different. They are chosen only from those born of the rare Golden Fruit.
"There are also Shinjin born with evil hearts; they eventually flee to the Demon Realm to become Demon Kais or Demon Supreme Kais."
"If that is the case," the Emperor asked, "does it mean we cannot appoint regular Kais or Grand Kais? And theoretically, these two Life Goddesses should not have become Supreme Kais since they weren't born from that tree?"
"No," Axis replied. "Those are the laws of the Dragon Ball world. The Supreme Kais of our universe exist because of my influence, the Goddesses' own inherent power, the fruit, and the assistance of the Grand Minister. Therefore, we can still appoint regular Kais. A Grand Kai will even have the authority to manage the afterlife of an entire segmentum."
For those of immense power, the line between life and death was thin. Axis recalled how the North Kai had been killed during Goku's battle but remained largely unchanged, save for the halo above his head.
If his two Supreme Kais willed it, they could create their own subordinates by partitioning a fraction of their divine energy.
"Furthermore, you can appoint apprentice Supreme Kais. Should you ever wish to retire, you can pass your mantle to them," Axis said.
The two goddesses looked at Axis with speechless expressions. Having attained such supreme authority, why would anyone ever want to hand it over?
Unless pressured by an even higher power, no sane being would surrender such sovereignty. In this case, that higher power was Axis himself.
"Lord Axis, I believe we are more than willing to serve as Supreme Kais for a very long time, bringing life, order, and rules to this universe," Aisha and Isha said in unison.
"Do not worry," Axis assured them. "There are five positions for Supreme Kais in total, and you only occupy two of them. Just like the Kais, there are those for the four cardinal directions and one Grand Supreme Kai."
Axis had already mentally reserved a seat for the Emperor and one for his wife, Kasha. He was still deciding on the final position.
He planned for Kratos to accompany him on future adventures across the multiverse, with Kratos eventually inheriting the title of a God of Destruction rather than taking the path of a Supreme Kai.
As for Khorne, who now possessed a body created from Saibamen and had consumed the Fruit, it remained to be seen if he could even attain the status of a Supreme Kai.
Among the five, only the Grand Supreme Kai would be formally life-linked to the God of Destruction, though if the others perished, the link would shift to the survivor.
"This is a sound arrangement," the Emperor noted, understanding the inherent checks and balances in splitting the authority five ways.
He realized Axis intended for him to become the Grand Supreme Kai.
"Indeed," Axis said. "And beyond the five, I plan to establish a Demon Realm and a Netherworld. These will be governed by the Supreme Kai of the Demon Realm and the Supreme Kai of the Dead.
"The Grand Minister destroyed over eighty percent of the Warp's demons, but more will always be born. I will create a Demon Realm where the demons birthed from the malice of sentient beings will manifest. They will be trapped there, unable to enter the physical universe, forced to slaughter one another forever."
He continued to outline his vision for the Netherworld, a kingdom for the dead modeled after a cycle of reincarnation using the remains of the Warp.
He planned to install a King Yemma on every world to guide and protect souls, overseen by the Kais and ultimately a King of the Dead.
Axis already had a candidate in mind for the King of the Dead: Ynnead, the Aeldari God of the Dead.
Given Ynnead's existing ties to him and his manufactured divine body, he only needed one more Fruit of the Gods to stabilize. As for the Demon Realm, the candidate was obvious: Khorne.
Axis planned to negotiate with him once Khorne finished absorbing his fruit.
"A perfect system," Isha said. "I look forward to the day you create these realms, Lord Axis."
"You still remember our old agreement," Kasha remarked. "You told me long ago you would build a place for souls and a cage for demons."
"I have not forgotten," Axis replied. "But to create these realms from the fabric of the Warp, I will need the help of the Shenron."
His goal was to finally and completely separate the physical from the immaterial.
The Netherworld would be the realm of the soul, while the demons would be confined to their own hellish plane.
"Your ideas are sound," the Emperor interrupted. "But once these realms are created, how will humanity travel through space? What happens if a ship accidentally breaches the Netherworld?"
Current human travel relied on Warp-jumps. Axis's faster-than-light technology was effective only over short distances of a few hundred light-years; it was insufficient for navigating the entire galaxy.
"I have already prepared a solution," Axis said. "There is a technique known as Instant Transmission and the capacity for spatial jumping. It allows for movement between galaxies with no regard for distance. As Supreme Kais, you will naturally possess the power to traverse the universe instantly through divine will."
He had already brought various high-tech archives and divine techniques from the Dragon Ball world, solving the issue of interstellar travel and communication.
"Magnificent," the Emperor replied. "It seems our universe is finally approaching true Order. You truly are its savior, Axis. Now, bring my Fruit of the Gods to the Golden Throne. I wish to witness the birth of these new realms with my own eyes."
Axis nodded, took up the fruit intended for the Emperor, and departed for Holy Terra. In a blur of light, he arrived at the throneroom.
Waiting for him was Constantin Valdor, the Captain-General of the Legio Custodes. Despite the passage of a thousand years, the commander had remained at the Emperor's side, never disappearing as he had in other timelines.
"Lord Axis," Valdor greeted. "Please follow me. The Emperor has been expecting you."
Axis followed the Custodian to the foot of the Golden Throne.
The Emperor looked down at him with an expression of barely suppressed anticipation. "I have waited a long time for this, Axis!" he declared.
Through a thousand years of recovery, even though the Emperor remained confined to his seat, his presence and spirit were stronger than ever.
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