"Using your Chaos divine power, you should be able to transform into a human state. Change back first," Axis said.
Khorne nodded and stretched his body. A burst of red light radiated from him, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a bald man standing over two meters tall.
"It is my first time possessing a physical body in the material universe, and I am still somewhat unaccustomed to it. However, this body does indeed give me a different sensation. I finally count as a complete lifeform rather than an entity born within the Warp," Khorne said.
Previously, he had been little more than an aggregation of negative emotions like war, bloodlust, fury, and riots. Now he was a lifeform with flesh, blood, and a complete soul.
In a way, it was strange that while the Warp Daemons created by the four of them could enter the material universe, the four Gods themselves could not. This was despite the fact that the material universe had a strong capacity to withstand them.
Axis nodded and began to explain his plan to Khorne.
"First, I brought you to the grand space of this world. The four Chaos Gods and the Emperor have undoubtedly discovered you. They will certainly try to track you down. Just as we did before, you are responsible for drawing the attention of the Chaos Gods while I go to Nurgle's Garden. You only need to buy me a little time and I can rescue the Goddess of Life," Axis said.
After rescuing the Goddess of Life, Axis intended to immediately take her to his own universe. Then he would use Instant Transmission to find his son, after which they could all retreat.
"But there is one problem. I can currently only exert ten percent of my power. If I use more, this body might not withstand it and could explode. I do not want this flesh and blood body which I obtained with such difficulty to be destroyed like that," Khorne said.
If his physical body was destroyed, his soul would be exposed. The Warp did not allow for the existence of two Khornes. He would either fuse with the Khorne of this universe or be completely devoured by the other and vanish from existence.
"I have already thought of that, which is why I gave you a shell that can walk perfectly in the material universe. You only need to cause trouble in reality or perhaps stir up chaos within the Eye of Terror to attract everyone's attention. Furthermore, I have a deal with the Dark King of this world regarding this matter and he will also help delay them for me," Axis said.
The Dark King of this world had not yet completely fallen out with him so the plan could proceed as originally intended. As long as he infiltrated Nurgle's Garden, the Emperor, or rather the Corpse Emperor fully controlled by the Dark King, would immediately take action.
He would hold off one deity. Meanwhile the Eldar God of Death who shared a close relationship with Axis and had also been gifted a physical body would make a move to attract Slaanesh's gaze.
This way all the Chaos Gods would essentially be kept occupied.
"The Emperor of this universe should be completely under the control of the Dark King. Are you sure he will cooperate with you? Are you certain he will not stab you in the back?" Khorne asked.
Axis had discovered the Dark King's identity a bit late. If he had found out earlier, they could have adjusted the plan, but now he was unsure if the Emperor, or the Dark King, would truly cooperate and help them contain Tzeentch.
"He will help because weakening the four Chaos Gods benefits him as well. Besides we currently have no open conflict of interest so he has no need to make an enemy of me right now," Axis said.
The Dark King of this world had experienced ten thousand years of growth and was different from the Dark King of Axis's own world. In his own world, the Dark King and Axis were fundamentally opposed with no possibility of reconciliation.
It was a situation where only one could survive which was why Axis had decided to launch a counterattack and completely burn bridges.
However, the conflict between Axis and the Dark King of this universe was not that severe and both shared the Chaos Gods as enemies. The Dark King here wanted to weaken the Chaos Gods so he was pleased to see what Axis was doing. Furthermore, on the surface, the Dark King of this world did not know that Axis had discovered his identity.
Over the past year, although Axis had been busy transporting Trazyn the Infinite's collection, he had also gotten along well with the Emperor in private, even sending this world's Rogal Dorn back to Terra. The two sides were cooperating well.
The Indomitus Crusade had begun, led by his son Kratos and Rogal Dorn. Kratos was from another universe and although he had achieved high status, Rogal Dorn was still the true confidant of the Emperor. This remained true even if the Emperor sitting above was no longer their true father.
"Then let us do as you say. If anything goes wrong we must flee quickly. I do not wish to lose this body I worked so hard to obtain," Khorne said.
He was now completely bound to Axis. Since obtaining this body, his relationship with Axis had changed from mere collaborators to partners.
Axis nodded and sent Khorne out first as that fellow needed to go cause some chaos. After sending Khorne away, Axis took a deep breath, immersed his mind into the warp, and established contact with the Corpse Emperor, the Dark King, on the Golden Throne.
"Axis, what have you done? I felt the entire Warp shaking. For a moment I sensed two terrifying existences. Although the other one disappeared quickly it was very dangerous. Do you realize that?" the Corpse Emperor said.
"I was just conducting a small experiment. I told you before that I am on very good terms with the Khorne of my world. This time he specifically crossed the universe to help me complete our plan," Axis replied.
Back when he did not yet know the Emperor's true identity, Axis had revealed quite a bit of information to this universe's Dark King, including his close relationship with Khorne.
"This is the thing that surprises me the most. The Chaos Gods are not good and represent the ultimate evil and chaos of the universe. Under normal circumstances they live only for themselves and the word friend is absolutely impossible for them.
"You became friends with them?
"This astonishes me greatly. Can you tell me how you became good friends with the Khorne of another world?" the Corpse Emperor asked.
"The answer is simple. Our temperaments match perfectly. Our personalities are very similar, we like the same things, and even our philosophies in certain aspects are identical," Axis told the Corpse Emperor without hiding anything.
Of course, the most solid basis for their cooperation was the Fruit of the Tree of Might. Without the Divine Fruit, their relationship would never have reached this stage.
Axis had kept the existence of the Divine Fruit a secret from the Emperor of the other world, meaning the Dark King knew nothing of it.
The giant psychic projection of the Corpse Emperor nodded at Axis. He had not expected Axis's personality to allow him to befriend the Chaos Gods.
Could he truly devour the Khorne of this universe? Or would the Khorne from the other world reveal the truth to Axis? Since the arrival of Axis, all of his plans had been disrupted.
While Axis's appearance undeniably brought him some benefits, it also made the Dark King feel a sense of crisis. The being named Axis was more perfect than himself and had even achieved the things he had always wanted to do.
The Dark King was powerful but he was also a deity born within the Warp. Tens of thousands of years ago, ancient Terran Shamans used a certain method to find a powerful entity in the Warp. He happened to be present at the time so he allowed himself to be brought out by these Shamans and sealed within a human body.
After entering this human body, the Dark King's main consciousness fell into a slumber. Even while asleep, the Dark King's power constantly altered the mortal's constitution, driving him toward perfection.
The Emperor's body had almost reached the limits of the physical universe, attaining the strongest state theoretically possible in reality. If his body density increased any further, he might collapse into a black hole or trigger immediate nuclear fusion.
After ascending to the Golden Throne, the consciousness of the Dark King began to gain the upper hand, slowly grinding away the personality belonging to the Emperor. Although he continued to protect humanity, it was merely a cold and dark preservation.
His ultimate goal was to accumulate enough power to obtain a suitable vessel that could exist simultaneously in both the material universe and the Warp.
This plan would have taken an indefinite amount of time as he did not know how long he would sit on the Golden Throne, but the arrival of Axis from another universe brought change. Axis's appearance offered him new light and fresh possibilities.
Axis's physical qualities far exceeded his imagination. In some ways, Axis's flesh was more perfect and powerful. At the time, Axis had been hunting a younger, weaker version of the Dark King from another universe.
The Dark King had weighed the pros and cons then decided to ambush his alternate self without hesitation. He devoured the other him after the battle, making his own power stronger and more perfect.
Because of this, the Dark King obtained information about other universes, leading to a new plan. He would build a good relationship with Axis and learn the secret of becoming stronger from him. His investment paid off.
The other Axis used Ki to strengthen the perfect vessel he had created, the Emperor. This restored the Emperor's damaged body and made his own power even greater.
Thus the Dark King formulated a follow-up plan to keep Axis in this universe forever, even intentionally trapping Axis in the Warp. If Axis's body could be preserved and fused with the Emperor's body he controlled, it would create a vessel perfect enough to fully accommodate his soul. However, the plan hit a snag.
Axis had silently brought Khorne, one of the four Chaos Gods from another universe, without saying a word. He had even created a suitable divine body for Khorne using a special method.
How many things did Axis, an existence from another universe, know that he did not?
"It seems you are confident. The God of Death will move against Slaanesh to attract their gaze. I will help you delay Tzeentch's gaze. Nurgle will be attracted by Guilliman and the bait you released will attract all four existences almost simultaneously," the Emperor said.
"Rest assured. He knows how to take care of himself. Just like with the Eldar God of Death, I created a shell for him that can walk in the material universe. Since the Chaos Gods are insulated from the Warp in this state, no accidents can occur," Axis said.
Ever since Isha helped him create a skill similar to Instant Transmission, Axis possessed mobility unmatched by any Chaos God, allowing him to go anywhere in space.
"Your method of creating bodies is very unique. Perhaps you could also create a temporary walking body for me to allow me to walk in the material universe," the Corpse Emperor suddenly said.
Hearing this, Axis frowned slightly. This guy was testing him to see if he had discovered his true goal. If he had, he would never create a suitable body for the Dark King. However, this body would only be equivalent to a clone since the Dark King's power was stronger than Khorne's.
Furthermore, having a body would create a link between them. Since the Dark King was offering himself up, Axis saw an opportunity. Although he could not completely control the Dark King, playing some tricks would be possible.
"Emperor, your power is immense. An ordinary physical body cannot carry your soul. I can at most create a shell for you similar to the one the Eldar God of Death uses," Axis said.
"I am not asking for a vessel that can completely carry my soul. My physical body still exists and with your Ki repairs I feel good. I will split off a portion of my soul and inject it into this shell, making it an incarnation similar to a clone," the Corpse Emperor said.
If he could create a suitable clone, he could do more in the real universe.
"That is possible but it will take some time. How about I create a suitable body for you after we complete this mission? I will use my Ki to nourish the body and strive to bring it to the most perfect level," Axis said.
Axis was actually quite curious. If he truly created an avatar vessel for this universe's Dark King, would that vessel be closer to him or the Dark King?
"I think it will not take long, perhaps a few days at most. And with a suitable body I can help you better, can I not?" the Corpse Emperor said.
Axis thought for a moment and nodded. He had just grown a body for Khorne so planting another was not difficult.
"I need some of your blood, specifically from your original body," Axis said.
"Can blood from a Primarch be used as a substitute?" the Emperor asked.
"I'm afraid that won't work. You must send your own blood, otherwise I cannot record your genetic map," Axis replied.
Axis had never dared to attempt using the Emperor's genetic map as a blueprint to create a saibaman before.
"I understand. I will extract some blood from my main body and have a Living Saint send it to you. What do you think?" the Corpse Emperor said.
"No problem, but we don't have much time so be quick," Axis said.
He was indeed the Dark King. Within the entire galaxy, he could deploy his Living Saints anytime and anywhere.
"It will not be long, half a day at most," the Corpse Emperor said.
If he could obtain this clone, he would have a countermeasure even if Axis discovered his true identity. At the very least, possessing this clone along with his main body's combat power would prevent Axis from completely defeating him. Axis's idea, however, was to plant an ace mole beside this universe's Dark King to see if his Ki could subvert the avatar.
Thus the two completed their transaction, each harboring ulterior motives.
Far away on the Golden Throne, the Corpse Emperor immediately ordered the Custodes to draw a vial of blood from his body. Although the Custodes guarding the Emperor resisted this command intensely, they carried it out.
After drawing a vial of blood, the Emperor immediately summoned one of his Living Saints, sent her into the Warp, and then located Axis's position for a long-range delivery.