The eight Spirit Tree fruits dissolved the moment they touched his tongue, turning into a surge of indescribable life energy that instantly flooded every part of Leman Russ's body. The energy was far more violent and primordial than what Magnus or Sanguinius had absorbed.
Russ let out a suppressed growl.
His entire body swelled and twisted as if his muscles had come alive. His bones crackled with a harsh sound that made teeth clench.
His skin grew scorching hot and released waves of white vapor visible to the naked eye. Veins bulged like enraged serpents beneath the surface, glowing with a molten crimson light.
It formed a sharp contrast with the silver-blue cosmic filaments that had flowed under Magnus's skin.
"Back!" Axis barked.
He spread his hands wide, and a barrier of golden ki erupted outward, shielding himself and Lion El'Jonson.
Magnus's expression also turned grave. Arcane energy flowed around his fingers as he stabilized the space within the ship.
The air inside the bridge felt frozen in place. The pressure grew so heavy that everyone held their breath, not daring to relax for even a moment.
Russ's body began to swell out of his control.
His already imposing frame shot upward and outward. His power armor groaned under the expanding force, metal plates screaming in protest until his pauldrons and chestplate finally split apart and flew off.
A roar burst from his throat, no longer human but the howl of a wild beast, tearing apart the bridge's silence.
It carried the razor wind of ancient ice fields, the lonely call of wolves under a moonlit sky, and the savage joy of a creature breaking its chains and releasing its primal nature.
Before their horrified eyes, Leman Russ completed his final metamorphosis.
He was no longer the Primarch Wolf King clad in power armor.
Standing before them was a towering giant wolf.
His height surged to nearly ten meters. Thick silver-gray fur, sharp as steel needles and gleaming like metallic plates, covered him completely.
Powerful muscles rolled beneath that fur, dense and overwhelming, brimming with force capable of tearing apart stars.
His head had become fully lupine. Fangs jutted out like the pillars of a temple. His vertical wolf pupils burned with an eternal fire of battle, filled with a savage beauty and overwhelming majesty.
His thick tail swept across the floor like a siege hammer, leaving deep trenches in its wake.
The wild aura of Fenris's frozen plains, the primordial might of a primeval beast, the unyielding will of a warrior's soul, and the vast life essence of a Primarch all fused together and ascended within this new divine form.
Leman Russ, the Wild Wolf God.
Just standing there, he released an invisible pressure that rolled out like a storm made manifest.
This aura was nothing like Magnus's controlled rationality or Sanguinius's gentle divinity.
It was filled with savage aggression, a pure expression of strength and primordial vitality. He stood like an awakened interstellar beast whose mere breathing could shake the heavens.
Even Axis felt a spark of excitement. It was the purest kind of ferocity, very similar to his own Super Saiyan 4.
It was as if fate itself had arranged for Russ to take him in.
Russ howled again, a cry that shook the universe. This time the sound pierced through the hull of Solus Prime and even tore through the veil of the Warp.
Invisible sound waves spread outward like destructive tides with Russ as the center.
His eyes were blood-red, clearly devoid of reason. Drool drip-ped in large strands from his enormous jaws.
He stared at them with open bloodlust.
At the same time, Space Wolves around them began to change as well. They raised their heads and howled.
Black fur sprouted rapidly from their skin. Their bodies pushed outward until their power armor split apart. Before everyone's eyes, they transformed into werewolves.
Seeing this, Axis's expression changed drastically. He immediately sealed the area with his ki, stopping Russ's aura from spreading any further.
If other Space Wolves felt this aura, all of them would transform into werewolves on the spot.
"Stabilize the ship!" Axis shouted as he pushed the ki barrier to its limit.
The entire Solus Prime shook violently, as if it had been struck by the fiercest Warp storm, even though they were still in realspace.
The observation windows twisted.
In the distance, a cluster of asteroids shattered into dust under the impact of the wolf-howl's shockwave, as if struck by an invisible hammer.
Magnus's third eye, the Eye of Truth on his forehead, shone brilliantly. Arcane power wove complex runes around him as he worked to stabilize the space around the Solus Prime, offsetting the destructive pulses.
Axis called out to his adoptive father, hoping to drag Russ back to reason.
"Russ! Control your power! Do you want to throw us into a Warp maelstrom?" he shouted, his voice strained with effort.
"Dad! Come back to yourself. This isn't you. Find your mind again!" Axis roared, his voice exploding like thunder inside Russ's skull.
Axis released his own primal strength. Red fur spread across his body. Dark red markings formed around his eyes as he entered Super Saiyan 4.
The wild aura of the Super Saiyan and the monstrous presence of the giant wolf resonated with each other.
At last, the berserk shockwaves began to calm.
Leman Russ—no, the Wolf God Russ—slowly lowered his head. His burning golden eyes swept across the bridge. The red in his gaze had faded, replaced by gold, the clear sign that his reason had returned.
His eyes settled on Axis. The violent aura around him withdrew by more than half, replaced by a deep, layered emotion: gratitude, protectiveness, and an absolute sense of recognition.
"Axis…" His voice rumbled out, low and rasped, like two boulders grinding together.
He lifted a massive, fur-covered clawed hand, the talons sharp enough to tear adamantium apart with ease. He seemed to want to touch Axis, yet hesitated, afraid that he might hurt him with power he still could not fully control.
"How do you feel, old man?" Axis dispelled his ki barrier, smiling with genuine relief and a hint of lingering fear. "Your entrance was… well, let's say 'heart-shaking' barely covers it."
"I feel power. Endless power… never before so… overwhelming." Russ's voice grew more natural as he adapted to his new form.
"It is as if… something sealed inside me has finally erupted. The blood of Fenris is burning in my veins. No… boiling." He tried moving his new body.
Even the smallest motion tore the air apart with shrill whistles.
He lowered his gaze to his steel-furred claws, then looked up at the reflection of his own massive wolfish face upon the bridge ceiling. A flash of curiosity and absolute satisfaction passed through his golden beast eyes.
"It seems you haven't developed a new system of power like Sanguinius's holy radiance or my arcane discipline," Magnus observed. The Eye of Truth on his forehead analyzed the waves of energy flowing off Russ.
"But your very existence, your 'wild nature' and your 'strength', have become your divine manifestation.
"The level of your life has risen to a terrifying height. Your physical strength, speed, regeneration, and that roar capable of shaking reality… these alone form an extreme divine power.
"This is good!" Russ bared his fangs in a fierce grin, savage yet filled with exhilaration. "I have no need for those flashy sorceries.
"My claws, my fangs, and my war-cry—these are enough!"
He clenched his massive paw.
The air inside his fist ruptured with a dull sonic crack.
He recalled the humiliation of being banished by Horus, the regret of missing the defense of Terra. His desire for battle surged like molten rock.
Now, with a strength capable of tearing apart worlds, he could hardly wait to unleash it upon his enemies.
"And what of your sons' curse?" Lion El'Jonson asked in a grave tone.
Russ narrowed his golden eyes, sensing the invisible thread of blood that tied him to his legion. After a moment, his deep, powerful voice echoed:
"All who carry the blood of Fenris, all my loyal wolf cubs—the Space Wolves…
"Their wild nature will awaken fully. Their strength, speed, and regeneration will undergo a fundamental leap.
"They will become more like the ancient predators of Fenris… more like what I am now. And they will be able to transform back at will. There is no longer any curse of the Wulfen.
"Axis, my son… from now on, my legion will also gain the ability to transform."
With this, the Space Wolves became the third legion, after the Golden Legion and the Blood Angels, to master a transformation.
Following Russ's declaration, the Space Wolves who had turned into werewolves returned gradually to human form. Even those locked away on Fenris, cursed and imprisoned for generations, began returning to normal.
"My wolves are no longer the accursed. They will be my wildest fangs, my fearless vanguard.
"Their forms will be stable. Their fury will be guided. They will become the purest storm of destruction upon the battlefield."
Simple, direct, and ferocious. Russ's life essence had ascended, and his primal nature was fully unleashed. He had become the Wild Wolf God in truth.
The Space Wolves Legion was transforming into a tidal wave of destruction, led by a divine wolf and composed of warriors who could shift between man and beast.
Axis looked at the towering wolf god before him, radiating the aura of primordial eras, then glanced at Magnus standing calmly with his mastery over arcane law.
Holy radiance, arcane truth, primal divinity… the power structure of the Imperium was shifting in his hands.
And the awakening of Leman Russ, no, the Wild Wolf God Russ, had given the Imperium its most savage and sharpest battle-axe yet.
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ps?