"Child! Your strength is extraordinary. Even the Primarchs I created weren't as powerful as you are now when they were young. Your existence amazes me.
"You may not understand just how powerful the Primarchs I created are, but I can tell you this: they essentially represent the pinnacle of humanity.
"They represent the pinnacle of humanity in every respect, yet you can match or even surpass them in combat prowess. That's truly remarkable." The Emperor crouched before Axis and spoke.
"Thanks for the compliment!" Axis replied.
Axis couldn't deny it. Saiyans might not have much else going for them, but when it came to combat prowess, they were absolutely top-tier!
But apart from combat prowess, he really couldn't compare with the Primarchs in any other respect. Even when it came to natural aging, the eldest Primarch, Lion El'Jonson, had merely gone gray after ten thousand years.
And Vulkan, the Lord of Drakes, possessed the body of a Perpetual. In theory, as long as his soul wasn't destroyed, he could resurrect indefinitely.
Every Primarch was irreplaceable. The materials used to create them came from fragments of lesser gods in the Warp, making them the Emperor's perfect creations.
"So I intend to design a custom gene-enhancement procedure for you. It will comprehensively strengthen your genes without damaging your existing genetic makeup," the Emperor said.
Axis's combat prowess was already nearly on par with that of a Primarch his age, if not a little greater. Once he fully matured, his potential would be limitless.
What's more, his genes were highly unusual. With only a brief examination, the Emperor had already noticed several peculiarities. Implanting this boy with Gene-seed and turning him into a mass-produced Astartes would do nothing to help his growth.
On the contrary, it would undermine his future potential and greatly diminish his combat prowess.
His genes were already far stronger than those of an ordinary Astartes, so what this child needed was a custom-designed genetic enhancement procedure.
The Adeptus Custodes were his future. The Emperor decided to personally design a custom genetic enhancement procedure for Axis.
"I have great hopes for your future. I'll make you one of the Custodes. You might not know what that means, so let me put it this way!
"In terms of physical strength, the Custodes are the strongest in the entire Imperium, except for me and the Primarchs. And not just by a little—they're the strongest, period. Every Custodian undergoes a custom-designed enhancement procedure." The Emperor spoke with a smug expression.
Astartes were mass-produced soldiers. In his heart, the Custodes were actually the most perfect form of humanity.
By his estimation, Axis's combat prowess should be on par with a Primarch's once he reached adulthood. If he underwent the Custodes' enhancement, his combat prowess would skyrocket!
And one day, a member of his Custodes would be able to overpower a Primarch. The Emperor had no intention of raising Axis into an ordinary Custodian or a Shield Captain. Instead, he would groom him to succeed Valdor as the next Captain-General.
The Emperor gazed at Axis with growing intensity, as if he already saw a future leader of the Adeptus Custodes before him—a great Custodian commander whose combat prowess could surpass that of a Primarch.
Damn! I never thought I'd have no connection to the Astartes, yet somehow I'd be getting enhanced into a Custodian!
Those guys were already at the pinnacle of combat prowess in the Warhammer Universe. And the Custodes didn't get implanted with someone else's genes or anything like that; their own genes were improved.
Saiyan genes were powerful. Enhancing them could effectively increase Axis's potential.
Custodes also lived far longer than Space Marines. This was a huge win. The Custodes were perfect for him.
"Are the Custodes really that much stronger than the Space Marines? Then why not mass-produce them?" Leman Russ asked, rubbing his chin.
From the way his cheap old dad described them, the Custodes sounded incredibly powerful! If that was the case, why not mass-produce them instead of the Space Marines?
"They're my most perfect creations, you could say. They're also known as the Legio Custodes, the most powerful fighting force in the entire Imperium. There's no one else who comes close.
"Each one costs as much as a thousand Space Marines. Even getting close to ten thousand of them is our limit, so we can't modify them on a large scale the way we do the Space Marines," the Emperor explained.
Every Custodian was raised from childhood. That was before you even counted the expense of their custom genetic enhancement procedures.
Their later training, armor, and weapons alone were beyond what the Space Marines could afford. Take their power armor, for example.
Custodian power armor wasn't forged from plasteel or Adamantium. Each Custodian's armor was made from Auramite, a far more remarkable metal.
Auramite was completely inert at the quantum level and highly resistant to Psykic Power and various other forms of energy. His own weapons and armor were made from this metal.
And that was before you even considered their other weapons and equipment. A single suit of armor was worth an entire world.
"I see. So a Custodian costs an outrageous amount, right?" Leman Russ said.
The Custodes really were more perfect than the Astartes. Custodes surgery was the best choice for this little Wolf Cub.
"There's no comparison between the two. Anyway, go gather your tribe!
"I'll prepare a few Transport Craft for you. My flagship will remain in orbit above your planet. Once you're ready, come see me. I've also prepared a Gloriana-class Battleship to serve as your flagship," the Emperor said.
The Custodes were his pride and joy, while the Space Marines were merely a stable, mass-produced, weakened version of the Thunder Warriors!
Comparing the Astartes to the Custodes was an insult. The Astartes could never surpass the Custodes in combat prowess. Besides, the Custodes possessed unimaginable combat techniques, and every one of them was a master of both combat and strategy.
Custodians could fight alone, fight as a team, or command entire armies. They combined practically every virtue.
The Astartes' only advantage over the Custodes was that they could be mass-produced. The Custodes represented not only strength but also the Imperium's legitimacy.
By now, Leman Russ had recovered his strength. He got up from the ground, nodded to the Emperor, and left with Axis. Their two wolf brothers followed close behind.
"Russ, even after I undergo the Custodes' enhancement, I'll still consider you my adoptive father. Once I've completed my Custodes training and enhancement, I'll come back and join you on the Great Crusade," Axis said.
The battlefield was where Saiyans belonged. Even after becoming a Custodian, he had no intention of spending every day by the Emperor's side or cooped up on Holy Terra.
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