Ten Years

Emperor looked at this massive laboratory with a touch of nostalgia; it was here that He, Malcador, and Erda had once worked together to cultivate the Primarchs.

Erda had even regarded these Primarchs as her own children, yet in the end, it was this woman who betrayed Him—the woman who had stood by His side for tens of thousands of years.

The Warp is the most corrupting force in existence, regardless of how important a person or friend may be.

Your son, wife, father, or mother could all be tempted by the Chaos Entities of the Warp.

This is the truth of the Warp, which is why even the Primarchs remain unaware of the existence of the Chaos Gods. However, regarding Axis, the Emperor decided to reveal some truths about the Warp to him!

This child's Ki can effectively resist the corruption of Warp energy; Axis will be the ultimate weapon against all Chaos Daemons and against Chaos itself.

Once the child completes his transformation, the Emperor intends to send him to Russ for tempering.

Once the child realizes the horror of the Warp's Chaos Entities, he will return on his own.

Axis carefully scanned the room, noticing that it seemed to have been reorganized; there was still dust in some corners, suggesting it had only recently been put back into use after lying abandoned for many years.

In the distance, there were spots for twenty-one giant incubation tanks, but those tanks had completely vanished.

In their place stood two new, massive incubation tanks. This is the place where Primarchs are cultivated, right? I thought I was undergoing Adeptus Custodes augmentation? What are you playing at, Emperor!

And why are there two tanks? If it's just for my transformation, one should be enough! Whose is the other one?

"Come, Axis. Take off your clothes and lie down in the incubation tank. You don't need to worry about what happens next; just relax your mind," the Emperor said.

"Emperor, what is the other tank for?" Axis asked, pointing toward the second one.

"You don't need to worry about that! Just do as I say," the Emperor replied, refusing to answer Axis's question.

Axis did not press further. Following the Emperor's instructions, he approached one of the massive tanks, stripped off his clothes, and climbed inside.

"See you in a while, Axis," Malcador said, smiling at him from the sidelines.

He would be the one accompanying the child for a long time to come; the Emperor was far too busy and would only handle the preliminary work.

After putting on a breathing mask, countless vials of nutrient fluid enveloped Axis's body, and he gradually lost consciousness.

"Let us begin! First, use these special nutrient fluids to reinforce his cellular structure, then extract his blood to begin cultivating his superhuman organs," the Emperor commanded.

Malcador, standing nearby, nodded and began to assist the Emperor in completing the various genetic enhancement procedures.

Then, Malcador sat in a chair, donned a virtual reality headset, and initiated a neural link.

Once Axis fell into a coma, he found himself appearing within a digital virtual world; humanity had long since mastered such virtual technology.

In just a moment, a virtual projection of Malcador appeared before Axis.

"Hello, little one! For a long time to come, I shall serve as your teacher!

I will teach you all the knowledge of the Empire, whether it be astronomy, geography, mathematics, physics, music, or painting—I will teach you everything." Malcador began.

As an immortal like the Emperor, his long life had allowed him to master every facet of human knowledge.

He could be called the greatest teacher in all of human society, without equal.

"Do I really need to learn these things?" Axis asked.

"Of course it is necessary. If you only master force, you will forever remain a brute!

Through learning, you will gain unimaginable wealth—the wealth of the spirit, which will make your mind all the more resilient," Malcador said.

It will allow you to better resist Chaos.

Very well! It is said that the Emperor's Adeptus Custodes are not only masters of combat but also experts in all other fields, from tactics to the arts.

Malcador smiled at Axis and snapped his fingers. Instantly, an ocean of knowledge flooded directly into Axis's brain, causing his incredibly robust mind to feel a sharp, stabbing pain.

His physical body outside even twitched twice, as if his entire brain were about to burst.

"Our method of learning is somewhat unique. I will transmit the knowledge into your brain first, and then provide summaries and explanations for you.

Our pace will be fast; you are to learn tens of thousands of years of human history, and you have only a few decades to do it," Malcador explained.

These precious pieces of knowledge are the most useful things for you, Axis. When you truly realize this, you will understand my good intentions.

In the first year, Axis was required to learn every major language in human history and master the writing systems of every civilization.

In the second year, Axis studied all of human history from the first millennium to the thirtieth.

In the third year, Axis began to understand the major events in human history: all the famous wars, whether ancient, modern, or contemporary, the era of humanity's great interstellar expansion, the Dark Age of Technology, and the Age of Strife.

He used virtual simulations to enter these major events to observe and understand every famous battle.

As three years passed in the outside world, Axis's cells were fully reinforced, and the special superhuman organs cultivated from his own genes had finished developing.

Emperor began the surgical transformation of Axis's body: the Life Forge, the Primarch-grade Special Brain Core, the Ultimate Heart, the Super Skeletal Augmentation, specially cultured biochemical skin, and various specialized internal organs were implanted one by one.

In the fourth year, Axis began to study various tactical disciplines, summarizing the military history he had learned in the third year.

During the fourth year in the outside world, the Emperor left for over half a year to retrieve the Second Primarch and take command of the Second Legion.

In the fifth, sixth, and seventh years, he continued to repeat the curriculum of the fourth year.

824.M30.

During this period, the Emperor departed once more, finding the Tenth Legion's Primarch, Ferrus Manus, on the Medusa Planet, and the Iron Hands Legion was officially established.

In the eighth year, Axis began to cultivate his artistic sensibilities, learning to paint, play the zither, and master various musical instruments.

In the ninth year, Axis began to study the poetry of various cultures and civilizations, reading famous classics.

In the tenth year, 830.M30.

Malcador began to impart knowledge of biology, physics, chemistry, and other subjects to Axis.

Emperor departed once more, returning with Fulgrim, the Primarch of the Third Legion.