"What's so funny? My name is Emperor. You can call me that from now on, or you can call me Father." The Emperor spoke calmly, but with an unquestionable authority.
The Wolf King, Leman Russ, sat on his throne with a mocking smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he watched the man who claimed to be his biological father, the Master of Mankind, and the Emperor.
"It really is pretty funny! I'm the king here, yet you expect me to kneel before you, and you even claim to be my father?
"My father is dead! Before he died, he passed the position of chieftain on to me. I led the warriors of my tribe in conquering the entire planet, and became its Wolf King." Leman Russ replied without mincing words.
"He was only your adoptive father, just like the child standing before you. He wasn't your biological father.
"I am your true father. You are my genetic offspring, and my blood flows through your veins." The Emperor remained calm, but every word seemed to carry a tremendous weight.
"Heh! So what? Am I supposed to burst into tears, kneel before you, and call you Daddy?
"Then are you going to burst into tears, hug me, and call me Son?" Leman Russ scoffed, his tone full of mockery.
"That won't be necessary. But I am launching a Great Crusade to save humanity. It may last hundreds or thousands of years, or even longer.
"I need you to join the Great Crusade. You were born for this very purpose." The Emperor remained calm, but his words carried an irresistible force.
"Hahahaha! The Emperor of Mankind, is that right?
"Take the first left out the door, and get lost. I have no interest in joining your Great Crusade." Leman Russ waved a hand, his tone full of disdain.
Spending his days with his wolf brothers, sparring with his little Wolf Cub, and going hunting with the warriors of his tribe—that was the life he wanted.
He was happy with the way things were and had no interest in joining some Great Crusade, especially not as someone else's subordinate.
"I'm afraid the choice isn't yours. Once the Great Crusade is over, you can return here and live however you like.
"But only after humanity has been saved." The Emperor's tone remained calm, but his words held an unquestionable resolve.
Before he had even finished speaking, the Emperor threw back his cloak, revealing magnificent golden armor. He looked even taller and more imposing than he had when hidden beneath his robes, and a powerful energy surged from him. In an instant, everyone present fell to their knees.
The only ones who remained standing were the Wolf King, Leman Russ, and Axis.
The Emperor glanced at Axis with interest, slightly surprised.
This boy was remarkably strong! The psychic pressure he was releasing was enough to overwhelm even an ordinary Astartes, yet the boy could still stand before him.
Axis was struggling, too. His mind felt like a fog, and he was on the verge of losing consciousness. He clenched his teeth and channeled the ki within him with all his might, filling his entire body with its power. That was just enough to keep him conscious, though cold sweat had already soaked his forehead.
Deep within him, a Great Ape seemed to be roaring wildly, as if provoked by something! The force of that roar completely dispelled the Emperor's psychic pressure.
"What do you mean by this? If you want to fight, I'll gladly oblige." Leman Russ stepped in front of Axis, his gaze fixed on the man in golden armor.
He could feel the terrifying pressure radiating from the man before him. It seemed the stranger could knock him down—or even kill him—in an instant.
"I only stopped them from moving. I haven't harmed them, so you can rest assured. But your adopted son has impressed me. I admit I underestimated him earlier." The Emperor looked at Axis, his voice tinged with approval.
He couldn't sense any psychic energy from the boy, which meant he wasn't a Psyker.
That was a good thing. Psykic Power was formidable, but difficult to control, and Chaos might use it to its advantage.
To have a body this powerful without relying on psychic abilities was truly remarkable. It seemed that, besides finding his son this time, he might have stumbled upon an unexpected bonus.
"We Fenrisians have a tradition. When two sides disagree and neither can convince the other, they can settle things with three contests.
"If you can beat me, I'll do as you say. But if I win, you have to leave." Leman Russ spoke, his tone edged with provocation.
"You want to compete with me? What are the contests?" The Emperor smiled faintly.
"The three things we Fenrisians love most: eating, drinking, and wrestling." Leman Russ sounded confident.
When it came to drinking, he was unquestionably the best on the entire planet. Perhaps Axis could beat him when he grew up, but for now, he was still number one.
As for eating, the boy was the best. And when it came to fighting, Russ was still fairly confident.
Over the past six months, he had sparred with the boy in all sorts of ways. Axis's combat skills had improved, but so had his own.
The Emperor smiled faintly and agreed to Russ's terms.
The tribespeople regained the ability to move and immediately began preparing food for the two of them. Moments later, mountains of food were piled in front of them.
The result of the first contest went without saying: the Emperor of Mankind lost to Russ, hands down, when it came to eating.
The Emperor had eaten less than a third of what Russ had. Having won a round against the Emperor, Leman Russ looked pleased with himself.
This stranger didn't seem as impressive as he had imagined.
For the second contest, the warriors brought out barrel after barrel of mead. The Emperor sat at the table, picked up a cup, smiled at Axis, and drank it down.
Leman Russ, meanwhile, grabbed a huge barrel and gulped straight from it. By the time the Emperor had finished just two cups, Leman Russ had already downed three full barrels of mead.
"Hahaha! Looks like I've won this contest." Leman Russ tossed the barrel to the ground, apparently certain of victory.
"Russ, don't let your guard down!" Axis couldn't help warning him.
Seriously, in a moment you're going to get beaten until you're calling him Daddy! I wonder how strong the Emperor of Mankind would be if you converted his power level to the Dragon Ball universe!
"Hahaha! Don't worry, my little Wolf Cub. This stranger's nothing special.
"I bet even you could beat him. Why don't you take my place in the third contest?" Leman Russ was clearly quite drunk by now.
Axis: "..."
Damn it! Me against the Emperor? Are you kidding me?!
Before you continue