The world of Dragon Ball possessed a specific method for judging the values of good and evil.
Actions like destroying planets or murdering others increased negative karma, but if one killed to save a world, their negative energy would not grow; instead, their positive merit would increase.
In the afterlife, King Yemma did not judge based on a simple tally of deeds but determined whether a soul should be cleansed for reincarnation, sent to Heaven, or cast into Hell to suffer.
Axis had no intention of inventing a new standard from scratch. He decided to directly transplant the system from the Dragon Ball world.
If a perfected model already existed, why bother creating something new? He explained his thoughts to the Emperor, highlighting how simple, efficient, and convenient it would be.
"We cannot simply copy everything from others. That is their universe, not ours," the Emperor said, his brow furrowing.
He felt that Axis's ties to the other world were becoming too deep, almost as if he were trying to reshape their reality into a mirror of that foreign realm.
"I have already modified a great deal," Axis replied. "For example, I have transitioned the demonic races into Abyss Demons, and I have not fully adopted their version of the underworld.
"However, the systems of punishment and reincarnation are excellent choices. The true difficulty lies in the establishment of Heaven, as it is a place where souls enter but never leave."
In the Dragon Ball universe, the concept of Heaven allowed souls to live there for eternity once they gained entry.
Although the threshold was high, those who entered effectively became immortals, meaning the population of Heaven would grow indefinitely without ever decreasing.
"Then do not establish a Heaven," the Emperor suggested. Acting in his capacity as the Grand Supreme Kai, he proposed a solution. "Let the righteous continue through the cycle of reincarnation. They can be reborn among the various races of the universe, or even be granted lives within the long-lived species."
While a place like Heaven served as an excellent reward, the Emperor felt the prize was perhaps too great.
New souls were born every day; eventually, such a place would reach its limit and strain the cosmos.
"How about this?" Axis said as a flash of inspiration struck him. "For certain sanctified souls, we can convert them directly into Angels. Not the Angels of the Dragon Ball world, but something akin to your Living Saints.
"They would possess wings, wield the power of Holy Light and your divine psychic energy, and be organized for an Eternal War. The Abyss Demons of Hell would then have a periodic conflict with these Angels."
There had to be a way to expand the population.
The Dragon Ball world used Gods of Destruction to cull the physical races, but the new Hell and its Abyss Demons, along with this potential Heaven and its reborn Angels, could serve as targets for consumption as well.
"Is such complexity necessary? The demons in Hell can simply kill one another. I believe it is better not to establish a Heaven at all," the Emperor argued.
"No, that will not suffice. Demons do kill each other, but slaughter only breeds more powerful individuals. It makes them stronger. Those dominant demonic entities would eventually need someone to deal with them," Axis explained.
It was a cycle of consumption. The universe required a complete, self-sustaining system, or it would eventually face overload.
"Your logic is sound, Axis," the Emperor said after a moment of contemplation. "However, utilizing my methods for creating Living Saints will take time. I have only just attained this divine body and need to familiarize myself with its power. I also need to understand the Holy Light manifested by Sanguinius. Creating an angelic host is not a task for a single day."
Ultimately, the Emperor agreed.
Axis was right; the universe required a release valve. Otherwise, as time passed, the fundamental balance would shift dangerously.
"There is one more thing. You must have felt it, right? Our universe... something is wrong with it," Axis said suddenly.
Despite becoming one of the top-tier deities, Axis was not the true master of this universe. Even after successfully cordoning off the Demon Realm and the Underworld, he remained an outsider to its core.
He had once believed this universe was an unclaimed void, but it now seemed otherwise. The Warhammer universe possessed parallel realities and legends of the Old World.
Though the information of the Old World was small, existing on a magical plane, it was merely one small part of the grander design, akin to a single planet in the material universe.
This world had a creator, but something had gone terribly wrong, and the creator no longer governed these realms.
"It seems you have noticed as well," the Emperor said, nodding. "I once suspected the Old Ones, but it is clear now that it goes far deeper than them."
"Then I must continue to increase my strength," Axis said, clenching his fist.
By creating the Underworld and the Demon Realm, he had essentially partitioned the Warp. It would take a long time for the laws within those realms to fully stabilize.
He could not yet manipulate these new domains at will; like the Warp itself, they maintained a mysterious, intrinsic connection to the fabric of reality.
Based on the tiers of power he understood, Axis currently occupied the Universe level. Within a single universe, he was an absolutely invincible existence, capable of destroying a cosmos if he unleashed the full extent of his Destruction Energy.
However, a true Universal-tier entity could perfectly control everything within that space.
This was not a feat a God of Destruction or a Supreme Kai could achieve alone, though if their powers merged, they might reach the pinnacle of that tier.
Above them were Multiversal-tier beings: entities like Perpetua from the DC Multiverse, the Endless, the Monitor brothers, or even Dr. Manhattan and Lucifer.
Then there were the OAA-level beings of Marvel, the Celestials, the Beyonders, or the Chronos of Saint Seiya.
Having mastered Destruction Energy, Axis had barely scraped into the Universe tier, and even then, he had reached it through specialized means.
"You seem to have categorized the grades of divinity. Would you share them with me?" the Emperor asked.
"Certainly," Axis replied. "In simple terms, there are Planet-tier gods who possess divine power but have combat capabilities comparable to a Primarch.
"Above them are Solar System-tier gods, such as yourself when you sat upon the Golden Throne or the Aeldari pantheon, who can influence an entire galaxy."
"Next are the Preliminary Universe-tier gods. I would categorize the four Chaos Gods here. The Great Devourer is likely slightly more powerful than the Ruinous Powers, as it can affect an entire universe, but it is still just that, influence. While a Supreme Kai is more complete than a Chaos God, they technically belong to this level as well.
"Beyond that is the Universe tier. These beings can destroy or create a universe at will. Those who can create are generally stronger than those who can only destroy, as creation is infinitely more difficult. Anything above that is too complex to detail for now."
The Emperor nodded. Axis's classification was comprehensive. They were currently stronger than the four Chaos Gods, but they had not surpassed them by an insurmountable margin.
Their primary advantages were their physical forms and their control over the power of creation.
If the Chaos Gods truly wished, they could create planets and endless life, though they only ever birthed nightmare worlds and infinite legions of daemons.
"By that definition, Axis, you have reached the Universe level, correct? You could easily destroy this entire universe."
"Yes," Axis admitted. "Technically, I could destroy parts of the universe when I attained Super Saiyan 4, but I would not have survived the fallout. That form only allowed me to survive in the vacuum for a short time.
"After evolving into a God and unlocking the Super Saiyan God mode, I can exist in space permanently without breathing or worrying about radiation. Only now does my divine power allow me to survive perfectly in the void, though I still do not know what lies beyond the universe itself. I am a Universe level entity with high offensive power, but I still fall short of the truly elite beings of that rank."
"Then your choice is the correct one," the Emperor said. "You must travel to other universes to temper yourself. You cannot grow much further within our own. I recall that the entity known as Zeno tasked you with finding powerful gods in other realms. Maintaining a good relationship with that neighboring universe is wise. Go and find them for him."
The Emperor harbored a deep wariness of the other world because the power scales were completely lopsided. However, he had no other choice. In the past, he only had to worry about the Milky Way to ensure humanity's survival.
Now, he had to consider the entire cosmos. He still hoped to see humanity become the masters of the universe.
If Axis went abroad to increase his strength, it would ultimately benefit their home, while the Emperor remained behind to oversee human development and guard their reality.
"Regarding the Supreme Kai of the Underworld... you do intend to bring that one here," the Emperor asked. "Could we consider the Ynnead of our world?"
"No," Axis shook his head. "The Ynnead of our world cannot reach that level. It hasn't even developed true self-awareness yet."
Axis had already attempted to sense Ynnead's presence in the void, but it was impossible. In the other timeline, Ynnead was only born after ten thousand years of Aeldari suffering under Slaanesh.
Here, the Aeldari had fared much better since joining the human alliance, especially with Cegorach and Isha on their side. When the Grand Minister sealed Slaanesh, it had inadvertently saved the Aeldari race from soul-drain, effectively making them an immortal race once again, though that immortality was now tied to the new Underworld since the Warp was gone.
Now, when Aeldari died, their souls went to the Underworld. Axis had no intention of being lenient toward the Drukhari or Aeldari pirates; by any standard of judgment, they were destined for Hell.
Because of these changes, the Ynnead of prophecy would never appear. Therefore, Axis had to go to the other universe and bring back their version of the Aeldari God of Death.
"Do you think he will be willing to come to our world?" the Emperor asked.
"He will. I created his physical vessel myself. Coming to our universe offers him better prospects for growth. The Aeldari under his command are few; they could settle in a single star system here without ever fearing the thirst of Slaanesh."
It wasn't even a difficult choice. The Aeldari God of Death would surely agree, as it meant officially becoming an entity that surpassed the Chaos Gods.
"If you are that confident, I am at ease," the Emperor said. Then, a sudden spark of curiosity lit his eyes. "Actually, I wish to travel that reality with you. I want to see what I look like ten thousand years into the future."
The version of himself ten thousand years in the future was a tragedy beyond words. According to Axis, that Emperor's essence had nearly transitioned into the Dark King.
"If you want to go, it is possible. Before I discovered his true identity, I actually thought about bringing back his ten thousand years of experience as a god for you to study," Axis said.
The Dark King had even prepared a special artifact to store the Emperor's memories, though those memories were likely fabrications, or at least, memories of pure agony that would have allowed the Dark King to corrupt this Emperor.
Axis smiled, imagining the Dark King's expression if the Emperor of this timeline appeared before him.
"I have the time. The two newborn realms can be overseen by the two goddesses of life for now. Since they are still taking shape, I will join you on a journey to these other worlds," the Emperor decided.
He had always been an adventurer at heart. Back when humanity first stepped into the stars, he had been obsessed with exploration alongside Erda and the other Perpetuals.
Thinking of Erda brought a pang of nostalgia; she had betrayed him, but in his current state, such grievances felt insignificant.
"Haha, very well, father-in-law. If you're in the mood, I'll take you to the future of the parallel universe first, and then we can explore other realms," Axis said.
He had once feared the Dark King, but now? The Dark King was nothing compared to his current power.
If that bastard caused trouble now, Axis would show him exactly why he shouldn't provoke a God of Destruction.
The two reached an agreement and returned to Holy Terra. The Imperium was currently operating at peak efficiency under the Primarchs.
Axis estimated that the War of the Beast, which was supposed to happen centuries later, wouldn't even require a Primarch's intervention, let alone his own.
The Orks' gods, Gork and Mork, were minor players now. Many minor deities had likely perished when the Grand Minister purged eighty percent of the Warp's inhabitants.
During their few days on Holy Terra, the Emperor attended gatherings and projected his image across the Imperium. After bidding farewell to the Primarchs, he followed Axis into the future.
With a fracture in space, Axis led the Emperor and the two Kasha across the veil of time and reality.
Axis did not bring Kratos this time, as the young man was busy governing the Imperium alongside his new bride, the Living Saint Celestine, who had been retrieved by the anxious urging of Kratos.
They emerged in the pitch-black void of space.
The 41k Kasha looked at her father with a complex expression.
Living in the era of ten thousand years prior had been unsettling; in many ways, that era was the utopia her father had always dreamed of.
"So this is the world ten thousand years later? It looks no different from our universe, though humanity's situation is truly wretched," the Emperor remarked, sensing the state of the galaxy.
Axis expanded his mental reach and sighed. This version of humanity was indeed plagued by endless disasters. "The Tyranid Hive Mind is quite persistent," Axis noted.
The Fourth Tyrannic War had begun.
The Imperium was once again being pushed to the brink, retreating toward Holy Terra. Even with defensive cordons established nearby, the Tyranids were attacking with a frenzied hunger.
"It seems Roboute is in trouble," the Emperor noted.
"I see him," Axis replied. "He's currently engaged with the Silent King."
Because Axis had appeared in the past, Guilliman had not launched the Indomitus Crusade, Kratos had done it instead.
But once Kratos left that timeline, history had pivoted. Guilliman had been forced to take up the mantle of command, and the timeline had corrected itself toward its grim fate.
...
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ps?