Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Russ’s Request, The Psyker Prodigy
There were no wolves on Fenris, it was kind of a famous meme in Imperial history. The first to utter those words had been Magnus the Red himself.
During his interactions with Leman Russ, Magnus and his children had uncovered the secret of the Space Wolves' Sixth Legion, and so he had said it: "There are no wolves on Fenris."
In truth, every gene-seed had its flaws to some degree.
The noble Blood Angels, descendants of Sanguinius, suffered from the Red Thirst.
Magnus's Thousand Sons were plagued by mutation.
All this was because every Primarch had originated from the Warp.
More or less, each carried the taint of the Immaterium, and in some cases, outright curses from the Chaos Gods.
Russ's gene-seed also carried a deep flaw.
In the later days of the Space Wolves, there was even a hidden company of Wulfen kept secret from the rest of the Legion.
"Father, you're really telling me this secret so easily?" Axis asked.
"Who else am I supposed to tell beside you? I've always regarded you as my son.
"Even though you don't carry my gene-seed, by the traditions of Fenris, you're my child," Russ replied.
Russ trusted his own judgment.
He believed Axis would never reveal the Legion's secret.
"Thank you for trusting me, Father," Axis said sincerely.
After all, his own secret, the existence of the Saibamen, was something that had to be kept just as closely guarded.
"Axis, there's actually something else I'd like to ask of you. I hope you'll use your Ki to help with the Wulfen transformations in my Legion.
"Right now, my only hope is your Ki," Russ admitted.
That was the real reason he had shared this secret with Axis.
He wanted Axis's help in solving the Space Wolves' most dire gene-seed flaw.
"I'll do my best. But to be honest, my understanding of Ki is still quite rough. Besides, this is a problem rooted in genetics. I'm not sure Ki can cure something like that," Axis replied.
It was a problem inherent in the gene-seed, possibly a mutation originating from the Warp itself.
With Axis's current mastery of Ki, he couldn't resolve it yet.
"I believe in you, Axis. There's no rush. These gene-defects don't erupt very often.
"For now, my sons can still suppress the urge. As long as their will is strong and they don't lose themselves in rage of battle, they won't turn into Wulfen," Russ reassured him.
He didn't expect Axis to find a solution right away.
Still, the power of Ki was truly miraculous.
After witnessing Axis heal the Second Primarch today, Russ realized that Axis's Ki could be his Legion's last hope, because this kind of genetic corruption could never be solved with Warp power.
"Understood. I'll work on it," Axis nodded.
Maybe, one day, when he truly mastered God Ki, he could purge the mutation from the gene-seed completely!
But Axis couldn't help but wonder, did the Emperor truly not know about the flaws in the gene-seed?
Was He genuinely unaware… or was He just pretending not to know?
"As for those sixteen Custodes who escorted the Second Primarch out, you'll have to find a way to make sure they don't come back.
"Otherwise, the Custodes will eventually discover something's wrong. Same goes for that female psyker," Russ said.
"The Custodes can be transferred away, that's not a problem. As for the female psyker…"
"She's my liaison with the Emperor, she can contact Him directly. I'm afraid I can't just send her away," Axis explained.
After all, she had been personally assigned by the Emperor.
Axis didn't have the authority to dismiss her, and someone who could communicate with the Emperor at any time was also invaluable to him.
"Then let's at least send the Custodes away. As for the female psyker, she can stay for now. I'll assign her a private room," Russ replied.
As long as the psyker was just relaying messages and didn't wander freely, they would still be able to keep their secrets hidden.
"This female psyker is no ordinary person. Her name is Kasha. Father, do you know what an 'Awakened One' is?" Axis asked.
"Awakened One? I've never heard of that term before," Russ said after searching his memory, finding nothing.
"This psyker claims to be an Awakened One, but I have no idea what it means.
"Her psychic powers are formidable, by her own words. She claims that, aside from the Emperor and Malcador, she's the most powerful psyker in the entire Imperium.
"She even said she could alter the memories of every crew member on a battleship if she wanted to," Axis said.
"That's certainly sounds powerful, but she's definitely not the third most powerful psyker in the Imperium.
"The most powerful is my father, the Emperor, but the second strongest isn't Chancellor Malcador, it's our newly found brother, Magnus.
"Now, he is truly strong. Even when he was just born, he already understood his own origins.
"Back on his homeworld, he could communicate with Father psychically over great distances, and he's always been under Father's guidance, just through psychic means," Russ explained.
Magnus had only been back for three years, so his true strength wasn't yet widely known.
But there was no doubt: after the Emperor, Magnus was the strongest human psyker alive.
Axis nodded in agreement.
After all, Magnus was the one who once phoned the Warp and blew up the Webway, a true powerhouse.
"If I get the chance, I'll introduce you two. Maybe his knowledge can help you. He's also a master of arcane arts, and I think your Ki and psychic powers have a lot in common.
"You're figuring out Ki all by yourself, but maybe you two can learn from each other and make faster progress," Russ said.
Although the two powers weren't exactly the same, Russ thought there were similarities between Ki and psychic might.
Maybe, together, they'd create something unique.
Axis just smiled at that, saying nothing.
To those in the Warhammer universe, Ki and psychic power probably seemed similar, they were both supernatural forces, capable of destruction and healing.
But in truth, there was a fundamental difference.
Ki was generated from within, fueled by the strength of the body. The stronger one's physique and cells, the greater the Ki produced.
This was why, on Earth, the Dragon Ball Z warriors always focused on physical training.
The stronger the body, the stronger the Ki.
Psychic power, on the other hand, drew its strength from the Warp, which carried enormous risks.
A single mistake could have catastrophic consequences.
Still, exchanging ideas with Magnus might not be a bad idea.
Maybe Magnus could even help examine his soul.
Was it really as weak and ordinary as his mentor Malcador claimed?
After all, in the world of Dragon Ball, ordinary beings became spirit clouds after death, entering the Otherworld.
But the truly powerful, villains and top fighters alike, could keep their bodies even in the afterlife, and could grow stronger through training.
The only real difference was that they gained a halo over their head.
join my p_treon for 18 advanced chapter: p_treon. com/HyppoTL
so, the chapters will be longer from the next chapter onward. I won't be able to keep up with the pace of 1 bonus chapter 100 ps.
So, we'll be changing to 1 bonus chapter every 200 powerstones! Have a great day/night!